46 research outputs found
Polyglycerol-derived amphiphiles for single walled carbon nanotube suspension
Inspired by the commercially available SDS surfactant, a new polyglycerol-derived amphiphile has been
synthesized for functionalizing carbon nanotubes. SDSâ sulphate group was replaced by a polyglycerol
dendron. The steric hindrance offered by the dendrons makes the compound much more efficient than
SDS in isolating and stabilizing nanotubes in solution. Further amphiphiles have been synthesized by
adding small aromatic moieties between head and tail groups. We show that this addition leads to selective
interaction between surfactants and carbon nanotubes. Excitation photoluminescence and optical
absorption spectroscopy analysis confirm the change in the distribution of nanotubesâ chiralities in suspension,
depending on the amphiphile
Carbon-based cores with polyglycerol shells â the importance of core flexibility for encapsulation of hydrophobic guests
Two coreâshell nanoparticles with polyglycerol shells and sp3 carbon cores
with different flexibilities (soft dendritic polyethylene and hard
nanodiamond) were synthesized, their encapsulation capacities were compared,
and their ability to transport into tumor cells was investigated. The
nanocarrier with a soft core was superior to the hard one
Tandem Coordination, Ring-Opening, Hyperbranched Polymerization for the Synthesis of Water-Soluble CoreâShell Unimolecular Transporters
A water-soluble molecular transporter with a dendritic
coreâshell
nanostructure has been prepared by a tandem coordination, ring-opening,
hyperbranched polymerization process. Consisting of hydrophilic hyperbranched
polyglycerol shell grafted from hydrophobic dendritic polyethylene
core, the transporter has a molecular weight of 951 kg/mol and a hydrodynamic
diameter of 17.5 ± 0.9 nm, as determined by static and dynamic
light scattering, respectively. Based on evidence from fluorescence
spectroscopy, light scattering, and electron microscopy, the coreâshell
copolymer transports the hydrophobic guests pyrene and Nile red by
a unimolecular transport mechanism. Furthermore, it was shown that
the coreâshell copolymer effectively transports the hydrophobic
dye Nile red into living cells under extremely high and biologically
relevant dilution conditions, which is in sharp contrast to a small
molecule amphiphile. These results suggest potential applicability
of such coreâshell molecular transporters in the administration
of poorly water-soluble drugs