Faceted polymersomes: a sphere-to-polyhedron shape transformation

The creation of “soft” deformable hollow polymeric nanoparticles with complex non-spherical shapes via block copolymer self-assembly remains a challenge. In this work, we show that a perylene-bearing block copolymer can self-assemble into polymeric membrane sacs (polymersomes) that not only possess...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemical science (Cambridge) Vol. 10; no. 9; pp. 2725 - 2731
Main Authors: Wong, Chin Ken, Martin, Adam D., Floetenmeyer, Matthias, Parton, Robert G., Stenzel, Martina H., Thordarson, Pall
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England Royal Society of Chemistry 07.03.2019
Subjects:
Block copolymers
Chemistry
Deformation
Drug delivery systems
Fluorescence
Formability
Mathematical morphology
Nanoparticles
Polyhedra
Self-assembly
Spherical shells
Transformations
ISSN:2041-6520, 2041-6539
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The creation of “soft” deformable hollow polymeric nanoparticles with complex non-spherical shapes via block copolymer self-assembly remains a challenge. In this work, we show that a perylene-bearing block copolymer can self-assemble into polymeric membrane sacs (polymersomes) that not only possess uncommonly faceted polyhedral shapes but are also intrinsically fluorescent. Here, we further reveal for the first time an experimental visualization of the entire polymersome faceting process. We uncover how our polymersomes facet through a sphere-to-polyhedron shape transformation pathway that is driven by perylene aggregation confined within a topologically spherical polymersome shell. Finally, we illustrate the importance in understanding this shape transformation process by demonstrating our ability to controllably isolate different intermediate polymersome morphologies. The findings presented herein should provide opportunities for those who utilize non-spherical polymersomes for drug delivery, nanoreactor or templating applications, and those who are interested in the fundamental aspects of polymersome self-assembly.
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ISSN:2041-6520
2041-6539
DOI:10.1039/C8SC04206C