Purification of Nanoparticles by Size and Shape

Producing monodisperse nanoparticles is essential to ensure consistency in biological experiments and to enable a smooth translation into the clinic. Purification of samples into discrete sizes and shapes may not only improve sample quality, but also provide us with the tools to understand which physical properties of nanoparticles are beneficial for a drug delivery vector. In this study, using polymersomes as a model system, we explore four techniques for purifying pre-formed nanoparticles into discrete fractions based on their size, shape or density. We show that these techniques can successfully separate polymersomes into monodisperse fractions

Life Cycle-Dependent Cytoskeletal Modifications in Plasmodium falciparum Infected Erythrocytes

10.1371/journal.pone.0061170PLoS ONE84

Polymersomes, smaller than you think: ferrocene as a TEM probe to determine core structure

By incorporating ferrocene into the hydrophobic membrane of PEG-b-PCL polymersome nanoparticles it is possible to selectively visualize their core using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Two different sizes of ferrocene-loaded polymersomes with mean hydrodynamic diameters of approximately 40 and 90 nm were prepared. Image analysis of TEM pictures of these polymersomes found that the mean diameter of the core was 4-5 times smaller than the mean hydrodynamic diameter. The values obtained also allow the surface diameter and internal volume of the core to be calculated

The Synthesis, Self-Assembly and Self-Organisation of Polysilane Block Copolymers

Block copolymers containing polysilane blocks are unique in that the polysilane components possess electro-active properties and are readily photodegradable. This review will discuss and assess the two major approaches to the synthesis of polysilane block copolymers via pre-formed polymer chain coupling and living polymerisation techniques. The self-organisation of polysilane block copolymers and the morphologies adopted in thin films are reviewed. Amphiphilic polysilane-containing block copolymers self-assemble in solvents selective for one block and a number of examples are highlighted. The versatility of these materials is highlighted by recent significant applications including the preparation of hollow crosslinked micellar aggregates in aqueous solutions and in patterned thin film generation subsequently employed as templates for the growth of cell cultures and CaCO (3.