Miller R.D., Sly J., Lee V.Y., Appel E., Nguyen T., Nunes H., Tjio M., Gomez L., McNeil M., Munninghoff J., Rowan A.E.
IBM Almaden Research Center, US
Keywords: biomedical applications, cargo loading, characterization, nanogel stars, shell deposition, synthesis
We have developed versatile routes to nanogel core, multiarm star polymeric unimolecular amphiphiles that provides exquisite control over molecular size, polydispersity, chain and periphery functionality which eliminate the dynamic equilibrium associated with polymeric micelles. . The number of arms is adjustable over the range from 20 to more than 100. The synthetic route is cheap and scalable and purification is simple providing an intrinsic advantage over dendrimers which are topologically similar. These materials readily encapsulate a variety of hydrophobic materials at reasonable loading levels (10-15%) without covalent binding. The cores and arms can be bio- stable, -degradable or –compatible. In addition to small molecules, nanoparticles including superparamagnetic materials can be encapsulated in the outer shell through ligand-mediated binding. The outer shell and periphery can also catalyze the controlled deposition of various inorganic shells including organosilicates and gold, the latter of which is formed by electrodeless deposition. The nanoparticles are multicompartmental and are useful as dual function reagents for therapeutics and imaging. The loaded particles spontaneously penetrate cells and can be tracked by fluorescence, MRI and PET. We will describe the preparation and characterization of these particles and nancomposites together with potential biomedical applications
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 1, Nanotechnology 2012: Advanced Materials, CNTs, Particles, Films and Composites (Volume 1)
Published: June 18, 2012
Pages: 464 - 467
Industry sector: Advanced Materials & Manufacturing
Topic: Nanoparticle Synthesis & Applications
ISBN: 978-1-4665-6274-5