Abstract
Herein, a surface-initiated activator generated by electron transfer for an atom transfer radical polymerization (AGET ATRP) system was developed on the surface of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by using FeCl3·6H2O as the catalyst, tris-(3,6-dioxoheptyl) amine (TDA-1) as the ligand and ascorbic acid (AsAc) as the reducing agent. A wide range of polymers, such as polystyrene (PS), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) (PPEGMA), were successfully grafted onto the surfaces. The core–shell structure of MWCNTs@PS was observed by TEM. Both Raman spectra and the results of hydrolysis of MWCNTs@PS (after extraction by THF) confirmed that the PS chains were covalently tethered onto the surfaces of the MWCNTs. Due to superior biocompatibility of the iron catalyst, the strategy of modification of MWCNTs via iron-mediated AGET ATRP provided a promising method for the controllable and biocompatible modification of nanomaterials.
Highlights
Since carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were discovered by Iijima in 1991,1 it has opened up a new chapter in the development of carbon science
The route of immobilization of initiator multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)-Br is shown in Scheme 1
Carboxyl groups are attached to the surface of MWCNTs by acidi cation with nitric acid
Summary
Since carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were discovered by Iijima in 1991,1 it has opened up a new chapter in the development of carbon science. Vannikov et al investigated the effect of cyanine dye additives on the photoelectric and photorefractive properties of polyvinyl carbazole composites based on closed single walled carbon nanotubes.[14] In addition, the biomedical applications are very promising.[15] For example, Pan et al utilized polyamide dendrimers modi ed CNTs as gene carriers and investigated the effect of dendrimer's algebra on the performance of gene vectors.[16] Lay et al put the anticancer drug paclitaxel on poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) gra ed CNTs and studied its application in treatment of cancer They found that the delivery system can efficiently kill HeLa and MCF-7 cancer cells.[17] Vannikova et al found that the biocompatibility and low cytotoxicity of CNTs are attributed to size, dose, duration, testing systems, and surface functionalization.[18] They functionalized CNTs to improve its solubility and biocompatibility and reduce its cytotoxic effects. Considering the biological toxicity of copper and the superior biocompatibility of iron catalyst,[19] we employed the ironcatalyzed AGET ATRP for the surface modi cation of MWCNTs, which provided a viable method for the synthesis of biomedical materials
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