INTERACTII NONCOVALENTE IN HYDROGELURI POLIMERICE SI HIBRIDE INVESTIGATE PRIN SPECTROSCOPIE DE REZONANTA ELECTRONICA DE SPIN Funding Source:The Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI) PN-III-P4-ID-PCE-2016-0734 Contract No. 86/2017 Project leader: Dr. Elena Gabriela Ionita Funding: 850000 lei 2017-2019

Summary The project aim is to approach structural aspects of polysaccharide hydrogels with self-healing properties or represented by interpenetrating polymer networks (IPN) using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. This is a physico-chemical method that provides highly specific local information on the environment around the paramagnetic species in a range of several nanometers. As polysaccharides are diamagnetic, spin labelling will be a necessary step in studying these hydrogels by EPR, in order to obtain information that can be further exploited in tailoring the properties of a particular hydrogel. The major goals of this project are: 1) to get insight into the formation of hydrogels resulted through noncovalent assembly of polysaccharides, and 2) to analyse gel properties and some processes, taking place inside the hydrogel network, which can generate hybrid materials, all these in connection with their possible applications. Summary

The goals will be pursued by following five research objectives: O1 The goals will be pursued by following five research objectives: O1. Design of spin labelled self-healing hydrogels based on host-guest interactions O2. Design of interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogels involving polysaccharides and the study of their behaviour by EPR spectroscopy O3. Exploration of mesh size using EPR measurements and distribution of spin probes in the non-homogeneous systems represented by polysaccharide hydrogels O4. Obtaining hybrid materials represented by self-healing and IPN polysaccharide hydrogels and inorganic nanoparticles O5. Investigation of processes occurring in alginate/hyaluronic acid hydrogels embedded with riboflavin and irradiated with UVA light

Working Team 2017 Matei Iulia Precupas Aurica Popa Vlad Tudor LeontiesAnca Hristea ElenaMicut Marian Staicu Teodora Culita Daniela Mocanu Sorin PhD student Popescu Irina Elena (employed by competition) MS student Minea Zamfirica (employed by competition) MS student Stancu Alina (employed by competition)

Activity report: 2017 Synthesis of some amino-cyclodextrins Synthesis of polyacrylic acid derivatives appended with cyclodextrin and adamantane moieties. Spin labelling of polysaccharides (hyaluronic acid, alginic acid) Appending cyclodextrin and adamantane moieties to polysaccharides chains EPR measurements of spin labelled polymer chains Physicochemical characterisation of polymers and their solutions using various physico-chemical methods

Dissemination – Papers 2017 S. Mocanu, I. Matei, S. Ionescu, V. Tecuceanu, P. Ionita, G. Marinescu, D. Culita, G.Ionita “Complexation of beta-cyclodextrin with dual molecular probes bearing fluorescent and paramagnetic moieties linked by short polyether chains”, Phys.Chem.Chem. Phys, 2017, 19, 27839-27847 Conference presentations