Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism00:57

Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

2.4K
The cationic polymerization mechanism consists of three steps: initiation, propagation, and termination. In the initiation step of the polymerization process, the π bond of a monomer gets protonated by the Lewis acid catalyst, which is formed from boron trifluoride and water. The protonation of the π bond generates a carbocation stabilized by the electron‐donating group. In the propagation step, the π bond of the second monomer acts as a nucleophile and attacks the...
2.4K
Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism01:04

Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

2.1K
The mechanism for anionic chain-growth polymerization involves initiation, propagation, and termination steps. In the initiation step, a nucleophilic anion, such as butyl lithium, initiates the polymerization process by attacking the π bond of the vinylic monomer. As a result, a carbanion, stabilized by the electron‐withdrawing group, is generated. The resulting carbanion acts as a Michael donor in the propagation step and attacks the second vinylic monomer, which acts as a Michael...
2.1K
Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:20

Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview

2.2K
The polymerization process that involves carbanion as an intermediate is called anionic polymerization. It is also a type of addition or chain-growth polymerization. Anionic polymerization gets initiated by a strong nucleophile such as an organolithium or a Grignard reagent. The most commonly used initiator for anionic polymerization is butyl lithium. Monomers involved in anionic polymerization must possess a vinyl group bonded to one or two electron-withdrawing groups. For instance,...
2.2K
Ziegler–Natta Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:17

Ziegler–Natta Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview

3.5K
Ziegler–Natta polymerization is another form of addition or chain‐growth polymerization used for synthesizing linear polymers over branched polymers. The catalyst used for polymerization is the Ziegler–Natta catalyst, named after Karl Ziegler and Giulio Natta, who developed it in 1953. This catalyst is an organometallic complex of titanium tetrachloride and triethyl aluminum, with the active form of the catalyst being an alkyl titanium compound. Using the Ziegler–Natta...
3.5K
Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:03

Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview

3.6K
Step-growth or condensation polymerization is a stepwise reaction of bi or multifunctional monomers to form long-chain polymers. As all the monomers are reactive, most of the monomers are consumed at the early stages of the reaction to form small chains of reactive oligomers, which then combine to form long polymer chains in the late stages. Hence, the reaction has to proceed for a long time to achieve high molecular weight polymers.
Many natural and synthetic polymers are produced by...
3.6K
Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:10

Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview

2.7K
Chain-growth or addition polymerization is successive addition reactions of monomers with a polymer chain. In radical chain-growth polymerization, the reaction proceeds via a free-radical intermediate. The free radical is formed from radical initiators, which spontaneously generate free radicals by homolytic fission. Organic peroxides (such as dibenzoyl peroxide, as shown in Figure 1) or azo compounds are popular radical initiators. A low concentration ratio of radical initiator to monomer is...
2.7K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Programmable artificial RNA condensates in mammalian cells.

Nature nanotechnology·2026
Same author

Molecular recruitment and release using DNA host condensates.

Nanoscale horizons·2026
Same author

Programmable artificial RNA condensates in mammalian cells.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Switchable RNA motifs for dynamic transcriptional control of RNA condensates.

Nucleic acids research·2025
Same author

Nanotubes Growth by Self-Assembly of DNA Strands at Room Temperature.

ACS nano·2025
Same author

Temporal dose inversion properties of adaptive biomolecular circuits.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same journal

Rheology of <i>Escherichia coli</i> suspensions with various bacterial morphologies and motion characteristics.

Soft matter·2026
Same journal

Stress-boundary-memory feedback drives vortical-polar transitions in softly confined active matter.

Soft matter·2026
Same journal

CAGE ionic liquids meet biomembranes: unraveling molecular mechanisms and partitioning kinetics.

Soft matter·2026
Same journal

Steady and oscillatory propulsion in reactive swimming droplets.

Soft matter·2026
Same journal

Axial forces in capillary liquid bridges of polymer solutions.

Soft matter·2026
Same journal

Dual-mode pH-programmable enzymatic hydrogel system for on-demand glucose generation.

Soft matter·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 19, 2025

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level
06:55

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level

Published on: September 26, 2016

8.0K

Generating forces in confinement via polymerization.

Dino Osmanović1, Elisa Franco1,2

  • 1Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. osmanovic.dino@gmail.com.

Soft Matter
|June 9, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Dynamic polymer systems can self-assemble to generate forces and deform soft shells. Controlling monomer release rates and particle interactions is key for nanoscale force generation in synthetic cells.

More Related Videos

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures
10:56

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures

Published on: May 20, 2014

12.2K
Combinatorial Synthesis of and High-throughput Protein Release from Polymer Film and Nanoparticle Libraries
10:58

Combinatorial Synthesis of and High-throughput Protein Release from Polymer Film and Nanoparticle Libraries

Published on: September 6, 2012

10.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 19, 2025

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level
06:55

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level

Published on: September 26, 2016

8.0K
Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures
10:56

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures

Published on: May 20, 2014

12.2K
Combinatorial Synthesis of and High-throughput Protein Release from Polymer Film and Nanoparticle Libraries
10:58

Combinatorial Synthesis of and High-throughput Protein Release from Polymer Film and Nanoparticle Libraries

Published on: September 6, 2012

10.5K

Area of Science:

  • Biomolecular engineering
  • Materials science
  • Synthetic biology

Background:

  • Biological polymer networks, like the cytoskeleton, generate forces for cellular functions.
  • Understanding self-assembly mechanisms is crucial for creating adaptive synthetic cells and living materials.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if dynamic polymer systems can generate deformation forces in soft shells via self-assembly.
  • To explore the influence of monomer release rate, structure, and interactions on polymer force generation.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a computational model for polymerization within a soft elastic shell.
  • Analysis of monomer release rates, binding dynamics, and the effect of multivalent particles.
  • Simulation of spontaneous polymer bundling and its impact on shell deformation.

Main Results:

  • Spontaneous polymer bundling was observed, enhancing shell deformation.
  • Monomer release rate into the shell interior is a critical factor for deformation via polymer growth.
  • Multivalent particles can modulate polymer performance, either enhancing or hindering force generation based on their quantity and structure.

Conclusions:

  • Self-assembling dynamic polymer systems can generate nanoscale forces and deform soft shells.
  • Controlling polymerization parameters, such as monomer release and particle interactions, is essential for designing functional biomimetic materials.
  • This research offers guidance for experimentally realizing nanoscale force-generating systems using self-assembling biomolecules.