Conference Call

field, recording the state-of-the-art in various fields, Macromolecular Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of often encompassing the last few years of research. the Czech Republic outlined the activities of IUPAC in In addition to IUPAC, the following organizations general and its Polymer Division in particular. have given considerable support, either financial or The conference highlighted all fields of spectros- in kind: copy (infrared, NIR, Raman, fluorescence, NMR, EPR,  Sasol Polymers Corporate mass spectroscopy, X-ray, dielectric and mechani-  Kansai Plascon South Africa cal spectroscopy), from theoretical and fundamental  African Sun Media, University of Stellenbosch aspects to recent advances and novel developments in characterization and analysis of polymers. The scien- Papers are being collected for peer review for ple- tific program consisted of 9 invited lectures, 28 short nary, invited, and oral presentations for publication in contributed lectures, and 60 poster presentations. a volume of Macromolecular Symposia. Invited lectures were of excellent quality and covered all aspects of polymer spectroscopy. http://academic.sun.ac.za/unesco/ The conference featured the following invited lectures:  Bernhard Blümich, Germany (Polymer analysis by Polymer Spectroscopy compact NMR)  Dariush Hinderberger, Germany (EPR spectros- by Daniela Illnerova copy on nitroxides: a simple method to elucidate molecular and nanoscale processes in thermore- This year, the 19th European Symposium on Polymer sponsive polymers) Spectroscopy (ESOPS19) was held on 7–11 July 2013, at  Isao Noda, USA (Two-dimensional correlation the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Academy spectroscopy study of polymers) of Sciences of the Czech Republic in Prague. It was  Vladimír Baumruk, Czech Republic (Vibrational organized simultaneously as the 77th Prague Meeting optical activity of (bio)polymers), Daniele on Macromolecules. Cangialosi, Spain (Dielectric and calorimetric The ESOPS 19 conference was organized by Dr spectroscopy to unravel dynamics and physical Jiří Spěváček and Dr Jiří Dybal under the auspices of aging in nano-structured polymers) IUPAC. It attracted 100 participants from 25 countries  Yukihiro Ozaki, Japan (Low-frequency Raman and and brought together both young and experienced THz spectroscopy studies on higher-order struc- researchers, as well as many students. At the open- tures of poly-(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate and nylons) ing ceremony, the attendees were welcomed by  Monika Schönhoff, Germany (Pulsed field gradi- František Rypáček, Director of the IMC, and co-orga- ent NMR diffusion in colloid and polymer science: nizer of the conference, Jiří Dybal. The Official IUPAC transport of ions in polymer electrolytes and of Representative, Pavel Kratochvíl from the Institute of active molecules in carrier particle dispersions)

Group photo of participants in the 19th European Symposium on Polymer Spectroscopy.

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 Sergei Kazarian, UK (Emerging applications of The CNC-IUPAC Travel Awards spectroscopic imaging to polymers) Dennis Hore’s participation in this IUPAC sym-  Marek Potrzebowski, Poland (Slow and very fast posium was an integral part of his CNC-IUPAC MAS solid state NMR study of biopolymers) Travel Award. The Canadian National Committee/ IUPAC travel awards were established in 1982 The conference was held in a friendly and stimulat- to enable young Canadian scientists to pres- ing atmosphere. The participants followed the pre- ent their research at IUPAC-sponsored con- sentations with great interest, which was reflected in ferences outside continental North fruitful discussion. Poster presentations were accom- America. Applicants should be within panied with selected specialties of Czech cuisine and 10 years of having obtained their Ph.D. beer. The awards are sponsored jointly by the The scientific committee selected the following Canadian National Committee, IUPAC’s poster presentations for awards, which were bestowed company associates, and the Gendron Fund, at the conference dinner: which was established in memory of a noted  “Two-dimensional molecular orientation analysis Canadian chemist who organized a highly suc- of poly(L-lactic acid) and poly(hydroxybutyrate) cessful IUPAC congress in Vancouver, British spherulites using FT-IR imaging method” pre- Columbia in 1981. Although many IUPAC member sented by Yuta Hikima, Japan countries have national committees that handle  “Temperature-dependent structural changes and liaison with IUPAC, to the best of our knowledge, intermolecular hydrogen bonds in Nylon 6 studied the Canadian National Committee is the only one by low-frequency Raman and Terahertz spectros- that operates a travel awards program. See www. copies and Quantum chemical calculation” by cnc-iupac.ca/awards_e.html for more details and Erika Onishi, Japan future announcements.  “NMR study of transition behaviour of amphilic block copolymers composed of poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) in water” presented by Mr Rafal Konefał, Czech Republic on hydrophobic surfaces such as polymers. Protein- polymer interactions are important in a wide range of Apart from scientific work, the participants enjoyed chemical applications, such as enhanced separation a relaxed atmosphere at the welcome reception, technologies, enzyme immobilization in biosensors, conference dinner, and in the guided walk in Prague, and in the biocompatibility of implant materials. which included interesting sights such as the historical Polymeric materials are found in the body in the halls of the Strahov Library and the Old Town Hall with form of sutures, catheters, vascular stents, and organ the famous Astronomical Clock. repair components. Many polymers that have the best mechanical properties for their task are hydrophobic; water would bead up on their surfaces. This is a prob- Nonlinear Optical Spectroscopy as a lem when such materials are in contact with bodily Probe of Polymer Surface Structure fluids as proteins, in their native conformation, are folded in a manner that buries their hydrophobic com- by Dennis K. Hore ponents in their cores, exposing hydrophilic residues to their aqueous environment. When such proteins It was an honor to receive a 2013 CNC-IUPAC Travel encounter artificial hydrophobic surfaces, they may Award that enabled me to participate in the 19th unfold upon contact in order to maximize hydrophobic European Symposium on Polymer Spectroscopy, interactions, resulting in loss of function and disease. Prague, 7–11 July 2013. My group at the University of For decades, researchers have been working on ways Victoria uses unique aspects of laser beams to interro- to circumvent these issues, for example, by modify- gate the structure of molecules that find themselves at ing the surface of the polymer components to render the interface between a solid and liquid phase. One of them hydrophilic. Although there is empirical data to the overarching goals of our research program (http:// assist in this effort, there is surprisingly little under- web.uvic.ca/~dkhore) is to characterize the conforma- standing of what the altered structures of the proteins tional changes that proteins undergo when they land are, when on the polymer surfaces.

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