Synthesis and Self-Aggregation of Poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)-Based Photocleavable Block Copolymer: Micelle, Compound Micelle, Reverse Micelle, and Dye Encapsulation/Release.

We report on the synthesis of photocleavable poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)-block-poly(2-nitrobenzyl acrylate) (PEtOx-b-PNBA) block copolymers (BCPs) with varying compositions via combination of microwave-assisted cationic ring-opening polymerization (CROP) and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) using α-bromoisobutyryl bromide as an orthogonal initiator. The amphiphilic nature of this BCP causes them to self-assemble into primary micelles in THF/H2O, which further undergo secondary aggregation into nanostructured compound micelles as established through DLS, FESEM, and TEM. Upon UV irradiation (λ = 350 nm), the photocleavage of the PNBA block of the PEtOx-b-PNBA BCP takes place, and that leads to the formation of the doubly hydrophilic poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)-b-poly(acrylic acid) (PEtOx-b-PAA) BCP causing the rupture of compound micelles as confirmed by spectroscopic and microscopic techniques.

Fluorescent amphiphilic PEG-peptide-PEG triblock conjugate micelles for cell imaging.

A fluorescent amphiphilic poly(ethylene glycol)-peptide-fluorophore-peptide-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-Pep-F-Pep-PEG) triblock conjugate with a hydrophobic fluorophore moiety at the centre of the chain is synthesized by "grafting to" technique based on Schiff-base coupling chemistry. The conjugate is characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), circular dichroism (CD), and fluorescence spectroscopy techniques. The aqueous solution of the triblock conjugate emits blue light and exhibits a fluorescence emission band at 430 nm.

Amino-acid-based zwitterionic polymer and its Cu(II)-induced aggregation into nanostructures: a template for CuS and CuO nanoparticles.

A convenient and water-based approach is described for the synthesis of an l-lysine-based zwitterionic polymer, poly(ε-l-lysinyl acrylamide) (PLAM), without using protecting group chemistry, chromatographic purifications, and organic solvents as the reaction media. PLAM contains both amine and carboxylic acid groups in each repeating unit, which can either be protonated or deprotonated just by altering the pH of the solution to obtain overall positive or negative charge. PLAM is tested for its applicability as a zwitterionic polymeric buffer in water.

Ascorbate-assisted growth of hierarchical ZnO nanostructures: sphere, spindle, and flower and their catalytic properties.

A simple solution-based method to prepare mainly flowerlike zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures using the ascorbate ion as a shape-directing/capping agent at relatively low temperature (ca. 30 and 60 degrees C) was described. However, we observed that different shapes of hierarchical ZnO nanostructures such as flowerlike, spindlelike, and spherical could be obtained with an increase in the synthesis temperature from 60 to 90 degrees C.

Ultrasound-induced in situ formation of coordination organogels from isobutyric acids and zinc oxide nanoparticles.

The discovery of ultrasound-induced in-situ formation of coordination organogels using various isobutyric acids (such as isobutyric acid or 2-methylisobutyric acid or 2-bromoisobutyric acid) and zinc oxide nanoparticles was described. FTIR and XRD results suggest that ultrasound irradiation triggers the quick dissolution of zinc oxide nanoparticles by isobutyric acids, resulting in the in-situ formation of zinc isobutyrate complexes that undergoes fast sonocrystallization into gel fibers. FESEM results clearly demonstrate the formation of well-defined networks of fibers with several micrometers in length, but the average diameter of the fiber ranges from 30 to 65 nm, depending upon the nature of the isobutyric acids used.

Reversible self-assembly of carboxylated peptide-functionalized gold nanoparticles driven by metal-ion coordination.

Carboxylated peptide-functionalized gold nanoparticles (peptide-GNPs) self-assemble into two- and three-dimensional nanostructures in the presence of various heavy metal ions (i.e. Pb(2+), Cd(2+), Cu(2+), and Zn(2+)) in aqueous solution.