Phase Change Dimethyldioctadecylammonium-Shelled Microdroplets as a Promising Drug Delivery System: Results on 3D Spheroids of Mammalian Tumor Cells.

Significant improvement of phase-change perfluorocarbon microdroplets (MDs) in the vast theranostic scenario passes through the optimization of the MDs composition with respect to synthesis efficiency, stability, and drug delivery capability. To this aim, decafluoropentane (DFP) MDs stabilized by a shell of dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide (DDAB) cationic surfactant were designed. A high concentration of DDAB-MDs was readily obtained within a few seconds by pulsed high-power insonation, resulting in low polydisperse 1 µm size droplets.

Assembling patchy plasmonic nanoparticles with aggregation-dependent antibacterial activity.

We realise an antibacterial nanomaterial based on the self-limited assembly of patchy plasmonic colloids, obtained by adsorption of lysozyme to gold nanoparticles. The possibility of selecting the size of the assemblies within several hundred nanometres allows for tuning their optical response in a wide range of frequencies from visible to near infrared. We also demonstrate an aggregation-dependent modulation of the catalytic activity, which results in an enhancement of the antibacterial performances for assemblies of the proper size.