| POLYMERS Vol.72 No.7 |
| >> Japanese | >> English |
COVER STORY
Surviving & Thriving Polymers After COVID-19 |
| COVER STORY: Highlight Reviews |
| Single-Virus Detection Technologies Pave The Way to The Future of Infectious Disease Testing | Masateru TANIGUCHI |
| <Abstract> The principles and challenges of new coronavirus testing methods used in clinical practice are reviewed, and the principles and current status of testing methods based on newly developed single virus detection technology are presented. The global epidemic of emerging infectious diseases caused by new viruses has created a shift from optical to electrical measurements and from multiple to single measurements. The future prospects of testing and diagnostics that are becoming digital platforms are described. Keywords: SARS-CoV-2 / Virus / Testing Method / Single Molecule / FET / AI / Nanopore |
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| Nature-Inspired Antimicrobial and Antiviral Polymers | Kazuma YASUHARA |
| <Abstract> COVID-19 has brought to light the reality that it is difficult to overcome the spread of infectious diseases caused by newly appeared pathogens even in modern society with well-developed medical technologies. Today, there is a great need to develop new materials that will contribute to public health. Also, it is warned that infectious diseases caused by drug-resistant bacteria will cause serious damage to human society in the near future. Nature established a class of peptides with antimicrobial and antiviral activities in its long history that is expected to be a key material for newly-appeared infectious diseases. This article introduces the features of natural antimicrobial and antiviral peptides as well as the design strategy of their synthetic polymer mimics, which are potential weapons against these emerging infectious diseases. Keywords: Antimicrobial Polymer / Antiviral Polymer / Peptide / Amphiphilic Polymer / COVID-19 / Biomimetics / Cell Mebrane / Infection |
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| COVER STORY: Topics and Products |
| Structural Studies on Emerging Viruses | Yukihiko SUGITA |
| <Abstract> For many years, the morphology and molecular architecture of viral particles, obtained via electron microscopy and other visualization techniques, have been utilized for pathological diagnosis of infected individuals as well as identification, nomenclature, and classification of novel pathogenic viruses. Furthermore, technological advancements in cryo-electron microscopy during the past decade have elucidated detailed three-dimensional structures of diverse biomolecules, including viruses, under physiological conditions. In this paper, I concisely present our research on the structures on viruses causing emerging infectious diseases. Keywords: Emerging Viral Disease / Filovirus / Corona Virus / Structural Biology / Cryo-Electron Microscopy |
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| Development of Antivirus Coating | Yoichi YAMADA, Takeji UEDA, Taku GOTO, Jun AKEDO |
| <Abstract> It is important to continue to develop effective infection control measures that are appropriate for their intended use. We have focused on contact infection via surfaces touched by hands, such as handrails and doorknobs, and developed antiviral coatings. New antivirus coating can be applied to various surfaces and has a lasting effect. It was prepared by filling a porous ceramic coating prepared by the aerosol deposition (AD) method with chlorhexidine, which has antiviral properties. The coating showed over 99.997% of Influenzae A virus inactivation after 24 hours and 99.994% of that after 2 hours by using ISO21072. The antiviral coating showed sustained effectiveness after immersing in water and better retention of chlorhexidine in cleaning experiments using ultrasound. Keywords: Anti-Virus / Coating / Disinfectant / Chlorhexidine / Ceramic / Aerosol Deposition / Porous |
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| Technical Trends of Face Masks Before and After COVID-19 | Kei WATANABE |
| <Abstract> Three years into the COVID-19 pandemic, wearing masks has become a routine in everyday life. Masks have protected us; however, new challenges have emerged - such as the stress of wearing masks for a long period of time and wearing them in hot and humid environments. Hence, comfortable use of such protective masks is in demand in recent days. Polypropylene nonwoven fabrics produced via the melt-blown process are common were the common filter material is used in the masks. However, we developed a suitable nanofiber material and applied it as a nonwoven fabric filter in the productive masks. Nanofiber masks not only achieved high collection efficiency and low-pressure loss for fine particles, but also positively controls the thickness and weight of the product, which is not evaluated by the mask standard, and it makes the nanofiber mask a promising material of having the qualities of both safety and comfort. Keywords: Nanofibers / Nonwovens / Electrospinning / Filters / Face Masks |
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| Chemical Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligece – Reimagining Post-COVID Teaching and Learning | Kimikazu SUGIMORI |
| <Abstract> Since 2020, the global pandemic caused by COVID-19 infections has shaken the education and research environment. We may have experienced emergency responses to remote instruction, online access to academic conferences, etc., and realized new possibilities for university education in the age of Artificial Inteligence （AI） and digital. The emergence of Generative AI, represented by “ChatGPT,” has further impacted university education. What methods can be adopted to nurture students not only as experts but also as creators through a shift to experiential education in university chemical education and experiential education （Co-Op education） that alternates classroom learning with learning in professional workplaces. Keywords: AI / ROBOT-PROOF / Data Literacy |
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| Polymer Science and I: A Personal Account |
| From Undreamed toward Understood | Rintaro TAKAHASHI |
| <Abstract> I am currently engaged in the enjoyable pursuit of investigating the physical properties of polymer solutions through primarily small-angle X-ray scattering, which was previously unimaginable during my undergraduate studies. This composition succinctly describes the circumstances that led up to this. |
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| Front-Line Polymer Science |
| Ferroelectric Nematic Liquid Crystals: Discovery, Development and Cutting-Edge Technologies | Hiroya NISHIKAWA, Fumito ARAOKA |
| <Abstract> Nematic liquid crystals (NLCs) have true three-dimensional fluidity because they possess only orientational but no positional order. Their excellent electro-optic property made the LC flat-panel display technology possible and led the revolution of portable computing from the end of the 20th century to the 21st century. In sharp contrast, a new class matter state, ferroelectric nematic liquid crystal (NFLC), in which the local nematic director is non-degenerated (n≠－n), has just emerged and became of great fundamental and practical interest thanks to its exceptional large polarization behavior, i.e. giant dielectric permittivity (measureed as ＞10,000), large polarization density (＞4 μC/cm2), high non-linear optical properties as well as its high fluidity. These excellent performances may offer unprecedented applications challenge. The new paradigm shift in LC-materials research is clearly emerging. In this review, we briefly review the latest researches over NFLCs, including the state-of-the-art applications. Keywords: Liquid Crystal / Ferroelectric Nematic / Dielectric Permittivity / Polarization / NLO / Capacitor / Actuator |
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