Micellar "Click" Nanoreactors: Spiking Pluronic-Based Micelles with Polymeric Ligands.

In recent years, the development of nanoreactors, such as micellar nanoreactors (MNRs) for catalytic transformations, has gained significant attention due to their potential in enhancing reaction rates, selectivity, efficiency, and, as importantly, the ability to conduct organic chemistry in aqueous solutions. Among these, the copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction represents a pivotal transformation and is widely used in the synthesis of bioconjugates, pharmaceuticals, and advanced materials. This study aims toward advancing our understanding of the design and utilization of polymeric amphiphiles containing tris-triazole ligands as an integral element for CuAAC reactions within MNRs.

Polymeric architecture as a tool for controlling the reactivity of palladium(II) loaded nanoreactors.

Self-assembled systems, like polymeric micelles, have become great facilitators for conducting organic reactions in aqueous media due to their broad potential applications in green chemistry and biomedical applications. Massive strides have been taken to improve the reaction scope of such systems, enabling them to perform bioorthogonal reactions for prodrug therapy. Considering these significant advancements, we sought to study the relationships between the architecture of the amphiphiles and the reactivity of their Pd loaded micellar nanoreactors in conducting depropargylation reactions.

Tuning the Reactivity of Micellar Nanoreactors by Precise Adjustments of the Amphiphile and Substrate Hydrophobicity.

Polymeric assemblies, such as micelles, are gaining increasing attention due to their ability to serve as nanoreactors for the execution of organic reactions in aqueous media. The ability to conduct organic transformations, which have been traditionally limited to organic media, in water is essential for the further development of important fields ranging from green catalysis to bioorthogonal chemistry. Considering the recent progress that has been made to expand the range of organometallic reactions conducted using nanoreactors, we aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the roles of the hydrophobicity of both the core of micellar nanoreactors and the substrates on the reaction rates in water.

Architectural Change of the Shell-Forming Block from Linear to V-Shaped Accelerates Micellar Disassembly, but Slows the Complete Enzymatic Degradation of the Amphiphiles.

Tuning the enzymatic degradation and disassembly rates of polymeric amphiphiles and their assemblies is crucial for designing enzyme-responsive nanocarriers for controlled drug delivery applications. The common methods to control the enzymatic degradation of amphiphilic polymers are to tune the molecular weights and ratios of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic blocks. In addition to these approaches, the architecture of the hydrophilic block can also serve as a tool to tune enzymatic degradation and disassembly.