Abstract
Boron nitride nanospheres (BNNSs) were functionalized with polyelectrolytes. The effect of the polyelectrolyte dose and ionic strength on the charging and aggregation properties was investigated. At appropriate polyelectrolyte doses, charge neutralization occurred, whereas by increasing the dose, charge reversal was observed. The complete coating of the particles was indicated by a plateau in the ζ-potential values, which do not change significantly beyond the dose corresponding to the onset of such a plateau. The dispersions were highly aggregated around the charge neutralization point, while at lower or higher doses, the particles were stable. The salt-induced aggregation experiments revealed that the polyelectrolyte coatings contribute to the colloidal stability of the particles, namely, the critical coagulation concentrations deviated from the one determined for bare BNNSs. The presence of electrostatic and steric interparticle forces induced by the adsorbed polyelectrolyte chains was assumed. The obtained results confirm that the comprehensive investigation of the colloidal stability of BNNS particles is crucial to design stable or unstable dispersions and that polyelectrolytes are suitable agents for both stabilization and destabilization of BNNS dispersions, depending on the purpose of their application.
Highlights
Various engineered inorganic nanomaterials have been utilized for medical applications, including cancer treatment[1] and the combination of cancer therapy and diagnosis, referred to as theranostics.[2]
These include effective drug delivery systems[20−23] and combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy.[24,25]. They were suggested as a boron reservoir in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT)[26,27] because numerous boron atoms are accumulated in a small volume
The colloidal behavior of the synthesized boron nitride (BN) nanospheres (BNNSs) particles was investigated in the presence of three types of polyelectrolytes, namely, PEI B, PEI L, and PLL
Summary
Various engineered inorganic nanomaterials have been utilized for medical applications, including cancer treatment[1] and the combination of cancer therapy and diagnosis, referred to as theranostics.[2]. BN nanospheres (BNNSs) strongly interact with cells,[21] which is important in terms of biorelated processes. These include effective drug delivery systems[20−23] and combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy.[24,25] Besides, they were suggested as a boron reservoir in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT)[26,27] because numerous boron atoms are accumulated in a small volume. With surface functionalization of the BNNS, it is possible to improve the biocompatibility, while the colloidal properties become tunable
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