The present disclosure relates to the technical field of water-based drilling fluid, in particular to a modified polyhistidine suitable for being used as a supramolecular shale inhibitor, a method of preparing the same, and its application in water-based drilling fluids. The modified polyhistidine has a histidine polymerization main chain comprising a structural unit, which is represented by Formula (1) and attached with a modifying group, and the histidine polymerization main chain has a histidine polymerization degree of 6-9. The modified polyhistidine provided by the present disclosure is a degradable biological material and has the advantage of environmental friendliness; when the modified polyhistidine is used as a shale inhibitor, it can take advantage of its supermolecular property to effectively inhibit the hydration expansion of montmorillonite which is the most important expansion mineral in shale, and exhibits excellent inhibition effect and desirable temperature resistance. ##STR00001##

Polypyrrole polymers functionalized with thioanions and methods for their use in metal capture applications are provided. Also provided are methods for making the polypyrroles using anion exchange techniques. The thioanion-functionalized polypyrroles have a conjugated, positively charged backbone of pyrrole units that is charge-balanced with associated thioanions.

The present invention provides, among other aspects, stabilized chromophoric nanoparticles. In certain embodiments, the chromophoric nanoparticles provided herein are rationally functionalized with a pre-determined number of functional groups. In certain embodiments, the stable chromophoric nanoparticles provided herein are modified with a low density of functional groups. In yet other embodiments, the chromophoric nanoparticles provided herein are conjugated to one or more molecules. Also provided herein are methods for making rationally functionalized chromophoric nanoparticles.

Modified thermoplastic hydrocarbon thermoplastic resins are provided, as well as methods of their manufacture and uses thereof in rubber compositions. The modified thermoplastic resins are modified by decreasing the relative quantity of the dimer, trimer, tetramer, and pentamer oligomers as compared to the corresponding unmodified thermoplastic resin polymers, resulting in a product that exhibits a greater shift in the glass transition temperature of the elastomer(s) used in tire formulations. This translates to better viscoelastic predictors of tire tread performance, such as wet grip and rolling resistance. The modified thermoplastic resins impart remarkable properties on various rubber compositions, such as tires, belts, hoses, brakes, and the like. Automobile tires incorporating the modified thermoplastic resins are shown to possess excellent results in balancing the properties of rolling resistance, tire wear, snow performance, and wet braking performance.

Disclosed are low-temperature thermally and/or ultraviolet light curable polymers that can be used as active and/or passive organic materials in various electronic, optical, and optoelectronic devices. In some embodiments, the device can include an organic semiconductor layer and a dielectric layer prepared from such low-temperature thermally and/or ultraviolet light curable polymers. In some embodiments, the device can include a passivation layer prepared from the low-temperature thermally and/or ultraviolet light curable polymers described herein. In certain embodiments, a polymer of the disclosure has a repeating unit having the structure (I) in which Q.sup.1-Q.sup.2 and Q.sup.3-Q.sup.4 are each independently C(H)C(H) or (II) in which each n is independently selected from 1, 2, 3 and 4, and the polymer includes at least one repeating unit of Formula (I) wherein Q.sup.1-Q.sup.2 and Q.sup.3-Q.sup.4 is (II).

This invention relates to a process for forming a long-chain branched polymer and a long-chain branched polymer resulting from the process. The process comprises reacting (a) a polyolefin base polymer with (b) a coupling agent comprising a polymeric coupling agent, optionally blended with a molecular coupling agent, the polymeric coupling agent being a modified polyolefin having a reactive coupling group at one or more terminal ends of the modified polyolefin chain, to couple the polyolefin base polymer (a) with the coupling agent (b) to form a long-chain branched polymer having a long-chain branching and/or higher surface energy relative to the polyolefin base polymer.

The present disclosure relates to a composition that includes a repeat unit defined by

##STR00001##

where each of R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, R.sub.4, R.sub.5, R.sub.6, R.sub.7, and R.sub.8 includes at least one of a hydrogen atom, a fluorine atom, and/or a first hydrocarbon chain having between 1 and 20 carbon atoms, inclusively, where each of A.sub.1, A.sub.2, A.sub.3 and A.sub.4 are either a carbon atom or a nitrogen atom, when A.sub.1 is a nitrogen atom, A.sub.2 is a carbon atom, when A.sub.2 is a nitrogen atom, A.sub.1 is a carbon atom, when A.sub.3 is a nitrogen atom, A.sub.4 is a carbon atom, when A.sub.4 is a nitrogen atom, A.sub.3 is a carbon atom, either A.sub.1 or A.sub.2 form a covalent bond, x, with a carbon atom, a, either A.sub.3 or A.sub.4 form a covalent bond, y, with a carbon atom, b, L is a linker group that includes an aromatic ring, and n is between 1 and 20, inclusively.

The disclosure relates to methods and compositions for reducing or eliminating non-specific binding of at least one dye conjugate to cells in a biological sample. A dye conjugate is contacted with at least one zwitterionic or anionic surfactant before, during or after the dye conjugate is contacted with a blood sample, resulting in substantially reduced non-specific binding of the dye conjugate to cells in the biological sample.

Formamide group-containing monomers and polymers made by polymerizing the monomers are provided. Also provided are methods of polymerizing the monomers and methods of synthesizing functionalized polymers by pre- and/or post-polymerization functionalization. The monomers are non-toxic and can generate highly reactive isocyanate and isonitrile precursors in a one-pot synthesis that enables the incorporation of complex functionalities into the side-chain of the polymers that are synthesized from the monomers.

The present disclosure relates to a composition that includes

##STR00001##

where R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 include at least one of a hydrogen, a hydroxyl group, and/or an alkyl group, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 include at least one of hydrogen, a hydroxyl group, an alkyl group, and/or a ketone, and 1n2000.