| dc.description.abstract | This work details the development of synthetic methodologies for the realization of porous materials with intricate design and meticulous control. A systematic approach is presented for the design and preparation of materials derived from cyclodextrins, tailored for advanced applications through synthetic control of the precursor functionality and linkage chemistry, and for the control of topography of porous materials through the utilization of sacrificial polymeric porogens. Two examples of these functional porous cyclodextrin-based materials are described, illustrating the efficacy of this approach in the preparation of materials with targeted activities and functionalities, and an example of the use of polymeric porogens to predictably induce porosity in thin films is presented.
The first example is a cyclodextrin polyimide (CDPI), designed for unique, flow-through molecular separation applications. These materials boasted high surface areas, extraordinary chemical and thermal stability, an ability to permit concurrent target compound immobilization and eluent mobility, and facile processing and utilization as bulk materials or films and coatings.
The second example is a cyclodextrin polyester (CDPE), devised for the loading and assembly of a polymeric hemostatic agent into bioabsorbable composite wound dressings. These materials demonstrated our ability to finely tune functionality of the material through control of the linkage chemistry, with full degradation observed under conditions emulating physiological milieu. Cyclodextrin polyesters were used as sacrificial carriers for the assembly of chitosan into nanofibrous mats with high surface area. These composites exhibited remarkable hemostatic performance, when tested in vivo against commercial hemostatic dressings, and excellent biocompatibilities, with degradation observed after delivery to the wound site.
Lastly, we outlined a top-down technique for induced, tailored porosity in a chosen host material through the synthetic development of sacrificial polymeric porogen agents. Acid-sensitive bottlebrush polymers were blended and cast into films with a miscible, inert matrix polymer and selectively extracted, yielding thin films with imprinted surface topographies that could be predetermined through control of the brush topology. | |
