Encapsulation Of Inorganic Nanoparticles Research Articles

Encapsulation of Inorganic Nanoparticles by Anionic Emulsion Polymerization of Diethyl Methylene Malonate for Developing Hybrid Microparticles with Tailorable Composition

Colloidal particle self-assembly into higher-ordered structures has been of great interest due to the promise of creating metamaterials with novel macroscopic properties. The physicochemical properties of these metamaterials can be tailored to achieve composites with tunable functionalities, either by controlling the assembly morphology and/or chemistry of the colloidal building blocks. This work describes a strategy of developing microparticles with a hybrid configuration that have an inorganic and an organic part. The inorganic part comprises functional nanoparticles, which are embedded within an organic polymer particle composed of diethyl methylene malonate polymer [p(DEMM)] prepared using anionic emulsion polymerization. DEMM polymerization is initiated entirely by the presence of hydroxyl anions and the resulting particle diameter can be tuned between 300 nm and 1 micrometer by reaction pH. Inorganic nanoparticles with varying chemistry (TiO2, CdTe, ZnO) can be loaded into the p(DEMM) particle with a controlled weight fraction, as confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis. The colloidal stability of the composite microparticles is seen to be dependent on the ligand coating attached to the inorganic constituent. These results provide a synthetic groundwork for creating hybrid, stimuli-responsive microparticles.

Encapsulation of inorganic nanoparticles in a block copolymer vesicle wall driven by the interfacial instability of emulsion droplets

We proposed an effective route, i.e., three-dimensional confined co-assembly of block copolymers and inorganic nanoparticles, to efficiently encapsulate high-density and large-size nanoparticles into the wall of polymeric vesicles.

Encapsulation of Inorganic Nanomaterials inside Virus-Based Nanoparticles for Bioimaging.

Virus-based nanoparticles (VNPs) can serve as containers for inorganic nanomaterials with excellent physical and chemical properties. Incorporation of nanomaterials inside the inner cavity of VNPs has opened up lots of possibilities for imaging applications in the field of biology and medicine. Encapsulation of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) in VNPs can achieve the labeling of VNPs with nanoprobes and maintain the original outer surface features of VNPs at the same time. In return, VNPs enhance the stability and biocompatibility of the inorganic cargoes. This review briefly summarizes the current typical strategies to encapsulate inorganic nanomaterials in VNPs, i.e. mineralization and self-assembly, as well as the applications of these hybrid nanostructures in the field of bioimaging, including in vitro and in vivo fluorescence imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, and theranostics. Nanophotonic studies based on the VNP platform are also discussed. We anticipate that this field will continue to flourish, with new exciting opportunities stemming from advancements in the rational design of VNPs, the development of excellent inorganic nanomaterials, the integration of multiple functionalities, and the regulation of nano-bio interfacial interactions.

Amphiphilic Diblock Co-polymers Bearing a Cysteine Junction Group: Synthesis, Encapsulation of Inorganic Nanoparticles, and Near-Infrared Photoresponsive Properties.

Encapsulation of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) in the interfaces of amphiphilic vesicles is a challenging task. The traditional strategy is to use amphiphilic triblock co-polymers, which possess two outer blocks for building the walls and coronas of the vesicles, and one middle NP binding block for localizing NPs at the vesicle interfaces. In this manuscript, we describe the design and synthesis of an amphiphilic diblock co-polymer, that is, PEG-SH-b-PS (PEG=poly(ethylene glycol), PS=polystyrene) bearing a cysteine junction with one free pendant thiol group at the center point between the hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) block and the hydrophobic polystyrene block. The amphiphilicity-driven self-assembly in aqueous solution of the pure linear diblock co-polymer PEG-SH-b-PS and the corresponding amphiphilic PEG-SH-b-PS/gold NPs (GNPs) nanocomposites is examined. From TEM observations of the self-assembled samples containing the conjugated GNPs, it can be concluded that most of the GNPs are dispersed at the interfaces of the formed vesicles. In addition, near-infrared (NIR)-absorbing copper monosulfide (CuS) NPs are also encapsulated into the PEG-SH-b-PS vesicles. Due to the photothermal heating effect of the CuS NPs, the corresponding PEG-SH-b-PS/CuSNPs vesicles can disassemble and release the embedded cargos under NIR illumination, which endows this nanocomposite material with potential in biomedical applications, such as cancer imaging, photothermal therapy, and drug delivery.

Chemical modification of TiO2 nanoparticles as an effective way for encapsulation in polyacrylic shell via emulsion polymerization

Abstract Encapsulation of inorganic nanoparticles by polymers is one of the interesting research topics that lead to the synthesis of nanocomposites. These nanocomposite materials comprise the properties of both organic polymer and inorganic nanoparticles. Here, hybrid latex particles with core–shell nanostructure were prepared via semi-batch emulsion polymerization. Copolymers of (methyl methacrylate-butyl acrylate) and (dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate-butyl acrylate-acrylic acid) were formed as the inner and outer layers, respectively on the surface of modified TiO 2 nanoparticles as the core. In order to create compatibility between inorganic and polymeric phases, modification of TiO 2 nanoparticles was performed with glycidyl methacrylate with an optimized procedure for the first time and then emulsion polymerization was carried out. The products of each step were fully characterized. The results of dynamic light scattering, TEM and SEM analyses proved the formation of encapsulated hybrid latex particles. DLS and SEM data revealed that the sizes of nanocomposite particles vary between 85 and 120 nm for 0–5 wt% of the modified TiO 2 nanoparticles. Physico-mechanical properties of the obtained nanocomposite films were studied by DMTA. It was found that using only 3 wt% of modified TiO 2 improved those properties of resulting films remarkably.

All in the Packaging: Structural and Electronic Effects of Nanoconfinement on Metal Oxide Nanoparticles

Encapsulation of inorganic nanoparticles within oligomeric protein cages can provide a multivalent approach for the synthesis of biocompatible nanomaterials by combining the nanoparticle-forming ca...

Development of core–shell nano composite of poly (styrene-co-methyl acrylate) and bentonite clay by ultra sonic assisted mini-emulsion polymerization

Encapsulation of inorganic nano particles (as a core) by polymers (as a shell) is one of the interesting research subjects that lead to the synthesis of nano composite. Some of the preparative methods for the synthesis of nano composite are dispersion, suspension, emulsion and mini-emulsion polymerization techniques. Here core–shell nano composite particles of poly (styrene-co-methyl acrylate) and bentonite (modified with octadecyl amine) were prepared by mini-emulsion polymerization. The mini-emulsions were prepared by dispersing bentonite in the monomers mixture (styrene and methyl acrylate) in the presence of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfate (SDBS) and Span-60 as surfactants and hexadecane as costabilizer using ultra sonication. The stability of both mini-emulsion and the obtained latex depends on premixing procedures, time of ultrasonication, and more importantly on the applied surfactants. The encapsulation of the nano clay was confirmed by FTIR and XRD analysis. The morphology of the nano composite particles was determined by SEM and TEM analysis. TGA analysis of the composite particles shows that they exhibit better thermal stability as compared to the pristine polymer.

Nanocomposite particles with core–shell morphology III: preparation and characterization of nano Al2O3–poly(styrene–methyl methacrylate) particles via miniemulsion polymerization

Encapsulation of inorganic nanoparticles (as a core) by polymers (as a shell) is one of the interesting research subjects that lead to the synthesis of nanocomposite. These materials include properties of not only the organic polymer (e.g. optical properties, toughness, processability, flexibility, etc.) but also the inorganic nanoparticles (e.g. mechanical strength, thermal stability, etc.). Some of the applied preparative methods are dry-spray, dispersion, suspension, emulsion and miniemulsion polymerization techniques. Here, miniemulsion polymerization technique was used in order to obtain white-color nanocomposite latex particles containing nano-alumina (40–47 nm) encapsulated by copoly [styrene (St)–methyl methacrylate (MMA)] under high-shear ultrasonic irradiation. At first, bare nano-alumina was encapsulated with the copolymer to obtain latex particles. In another attempt and in order to investigate the effect of compatiblizing system, alumina nanoparticles were coated with oleic acid in order to form modified alumina core. Then miniemulsion polymerization was performed in the minidroplets including modified alumina, St and MMA for obtaining core/shell nanocomposite particles. The progress of encapsulation polymerization was followed by different instrumental techniques such as FT-IR spectra, thermal gravimetric analysis, dynamic light scattering, induced-coupled plasma, TEM and SEM.