PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

A small reaction space has a big impact on polymer chemistry

2025-06-24
(Press-News.org) Tokyo, Japan – Mimicking the incredible skill of mother nature is never easy, especially when trying to match the remarkable chemical processes that take place in living organisms. Living systems, like cells, can carry out chemical reactions in very small spaces, sometimes involving single molecules. For many years, researchers have attempted to emulate this to allow for the manufacturing of specialized chemical compounds, but with limited success.

However, new research published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society highlights the development of a new tool that assists with controlling chemical reactions. This could allow important polymers – the large, chainlike molecules with many modern applications – to be created in incredibly small spaces with a high level of precision.

The team, based at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, developed a ‘molecular flask’ – which modulates the reactivity of the reactions happening in its interior – using a carefully constructed single polymer molecule with a unique shape.

“Previous work in this field has created small molecular reactors based on various porous materials,” says lead author, Xiangyuan Guo. “However, it is difficult to use these processes to make specific polymers, because the polymerization reaction is not easily controlled.”

This new work created polymers based on central, wormlike molecules with many protruding side chains, known as a ‘bottlebrush’ shape. The side chains act to produce a kind of internal buffer zone that allows some substances to enter the space around the body of the polymer molecule, while keeping others out.

This zone can be as small as a single molecule and can be tailored to provide adequate space for the formation of other polymers. Inside these nanosized pockets, chemicals can react to produce only certain desired products, protected from the effects of their surroundings. For this reason, materials that are otherwise difficult to synthesize can be obtained using this system.

“One of the main advantages of this new process is that it is extremely versatile,” explains senior author, Shintaro Nakagawa. “This was demonstrated by synthesizing two completely different types of polymers, including a specialized conjugated polymer based on thiophene with applications in optoelectronics.”

The spaces inside these carefully designed bottlebrush polymers are extremely small: on the order of tens of nanometers, meaning billionths of a meter. Similar to biological systems such as enzymes, these molecular-scale flasks allow an extreme level of control of chemical reactions.

In addition to making specialty polymers with many different applications, this breakthrough technology could someday be employed to produce nanoparticles and other materials with applications in medicine, sensing technology and other fields.

###

The article, “Single-molecule reactor based on the excluded volume effect of bottlebrush polymers,” was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, DOI: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c06532" target="_blank">10.1021/jacs.5c06532</a>

 

About Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo The Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo (UTokyo-IIS) is one of the largest university-attached research institutes in Japan. UTokyo-IIS is comprised of over 120 research laboratories—each headed by a faculty member—and has over 1,200 members (approximately 400 staff and 800 students) actively engaged in education and research. Its activities cover almost all areas of engineering. Since its foundation in 1949, UTokyo-IIS has worked to bridge the huge gaps that exist between academic disciplines and real-world applications.
 

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Small molecule treatment could make islet transplantation therapy more effective

2025-06-24
A pretreatment step could help transplanted pancreatic islets survive longer in patients with type 1 diabetes, according to a new preclinical study from Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. One combination of small molecules extended the cells’ lives in female mice, and adding two molecules to the mixture boosted cell survival in male mice. The findings, published on June 24 in Cell Stem Cell, could allow physicians to treat more patients with fewer cells. In type 1 diabetes, autoimmune cells attack the pancreatic islets, destroying ...

Food allergies at summer camp: The cost-effective solution to keep kids safe

2025-06-24
Going off to summer camp can be a scary experience for children, but it can be even more nerve-wracking for parents of kids with food allergies. New UVA Health research reveals the most cost-effective way to keep those children safe. For most summer camps, stocking a supply of epinephrine – a common treatment for allergic reactions – rather than leaving it up to campers to bring their own is a safe strategy with the lowest overall cost for everyone involved, the UVA researchers found.  “Stock, unassigned ...

What can tiny molecules in ants and naked mole-rats tell us about societal roles?

2025-06-24
Key Takeaways Researchers led by Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor in the School of Arts & Sciences and the Perelman School of Medicine Shelley Berger explore the genetic basis of how communal-dwelling organisms like leafcutter ants and naked mole-rats divide labor among their societies They discovered that pathways dating back hundreds of millions of years are conserved across animal kingdoms Their findings offer fundamental insights into the origins of complex social behaviors and the neuroplasticity of assigned roles From the bright lights of cities that don’t ...

National data shows post-pandemic rise in head and shoulder injuries for youth hockey players

2025-06-24
Journal: Injury Title: Pediatric Ice Hockey Injury Trends Presenting to U.S. Emergency Departments: A 10-Year Review of National Injury Data Authors: Luca M. Valdivia, MS, MD Candidate at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Sheena Ranade, MD, Associate Professor of Orthopedics, and Pediatrics, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Bottom line: This study analyzes pediatric ice hockey injuries in emergency departments throughout the United States, finding a post-pandemic rise in head and shoulder injuries as well as hospitalizations. Why this study is unique: This ...

The Vaccine Innovation Center of Korea University's College of Medicine successfully held a special seminar with Professor Pierre Van Damme

2025-06-24
On April 29th, the Vaccine Innovation Center (Director Chung Hee-Jin) of Korea University's College of Medicine successfully held a special seminar with Professor Pierre Van Damme, a world-renowned vaccine expert, at the Yoon Joo-Hong lecture room, 4th floor main building.   61 researchers joined this seminar to have in-depth discussions on the latest research trends and strategies in vaccine development and clinical trials.     Professor Pierre Van Damme is a world-renowned vaccine expert who has been selected as one of the 2025 recipient of the Park Man-Hoon Award for his contribution to lead the development of the first oral polio ...

Direct observation of the charge distribution at the ferroelectric interface was succeeded

2025-06-24
Multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) (1), which utilize ferroelectric ceramics, are widely used as electronic components in various devices such as smartphones, personal computers, televisions, and automotive systems. With the advancement of mobile devices, home appliances, and IoT technologies, there is an increasing demand for MLCCs to become more compact, offer higher capacitance, and exhibit greater reliability. MLCCs are structured with alternating layers of ferroelectric material and internal electrodes. Within the ferroelectric layers, there are domains with differing polarization directions, as well as domain interfaces on the nanometer (one-billionth of a ...

Sentinel-based index boosts tracking of Spartina alterniflora

2025-06-24
Researchers have unveiled a simple yet effective satellite-based tool to track Spartina alterniflora, one of the most aggressive invasive plant species threatening coastal wetlands. Using freely accessible Sentinel-2 imagery, the new Spartina alterniflora Index (SAI) enables precise, large-scale mapping of this fast-spreading species. Outperforming traditional vegetation indices and rivaling machine learning models in accuracy, SAI offers a scalable and practical solution for environmental monitoring and wetland protection. Originally introduced to China in the 1970s to control erosion and support land ...

New protein targets for cancer treatments

2025-06-24
Cells depend on the precise reading of DNA sequences to function correctly. This process, known as gene expression, determines which genetic instructions are activated. When this fails, the wrong parts of the genome can be activated, leading to cancers and neurodevelopmental disorders. Scientists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have identified two proteins that play a key role in regulating this essential mechanism, paving the way for promising new treatments that could be more effective and less toxic than those currently available. Their findings are published in Nature Communications. Human DNA contains over 20,000 genes and would stretch nearly two metres ...

New strategy for lead-free antiferroelectric design: Sn and Ce Co-doping regulates NaNbO₃ phase structure

2025-06-24
For decades, researchers have pursued lead-free alternatives to replace toxic yet high-performance lead-based antiferroelectrics (AFEs). Sodium niobate (NaNbO3, NN) emerged as a prime candidate due to its low cost and environmentally benign nature. However, its irreversible phase transition at room temperature, resulting in energy-wasting ferroelectric-like hysteresis, has hindered practical applications. The team published their work in Journal of Advanced Ceramics on June 18, 2025. Now, a materials scientists team has cracked this challenge through ions co-doping strategic. As published in Journal of Advanced Ceramics, co-doping NN with variable-valence elements Sn and Ce ...

AI tool set to transform characterisation and treatment of cancers

2025-06-24
A multinational team of researchers, co-led by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, has developed and tested a new AI tool to better characterise the diversity of individual cells within tumours, opening doors for more targeted therapies for patients. Findings on the development and use of the AI tool, called AAnet, have today been published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Not all tumour cells the same Tumours aren't made up of just one cell type – they're a mix of different cells that grow and ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

The Lancet: Tens of thousands of children aged under five suffering acute malnutrition in Gaza, recent estimates suggest

Prostate testing may not target those most likely to benefit, warn experts

Global analysis shows hidden damage from men’s alcohol use

DRI recognizes Ashley Cornish as the 2025 Peter B. Wagner Memorial Award Winner for Women in Atmospheric Sciences

Unlocking the blueprint for a powerful plant-based drug

Bringing modern science to vitamin biology: Isha Jain wins NIH Transformative Research Award

University of Houston scientists learn that rare bacterium ‘plays dead’ to survive

Introduced animals change how island plants spread, new global study finds

Mayo Clinic researchers discover ‘traffic controller’ protein that protects DNA, and may help kill cancer cells

Protein sidekick exhibits dual roles in stress granule assembly and disassembly

New hope for MS

Kennesaw State professor receives grant to study cancer origins

Pain and antidepressant drug combo linked to increased seizure risk in older adults

Cancer researchers shape new strategies for immunotherapy

Physical exercise can ‘train’ the immune system

Calm red brocket deer can learn to "Come" and other commands - but the flightiest, most restless individuals struggle

China, the world's largest tea producer, is predicted to experience increases in land suitable for tea-growing under climate change, with the overall range shifting northwards, per AI modeling study

Composing crews for Mars missions

Early humans butchered elephants using small tools and made big tools from their bones

1,000-year-old gut microbiome revealed for young man who lived in pre-Hispanic Mexico

Bears and pandas in captivity develop significantly different gut microbiomes compared to their wild counterparts, and giant pandas in particular have less diverse microbiomes than their wild counterp

Prenatal and postnatal support apps might not work

Dancing dust devils trace raging winds on Mars

Raging winds on Mars

Real-time biopsies uncover hidden response to glioblastoma therapy

Repeated brain tumor sampling uncovers treatment response in patients with glioblastoma

Novel immunotherapy combination destroys colorectal liver metastases

Farmed totoaba could curb poaching

Avalanches: user-carried safety device increases survival time fivefold

It’s all in your head: Select neurons in the brainstem may hold the key to treating chronic pain

[Press-News.org] A small reaction space has a big impact on polymer chemistry