Fabrication of hybrid nanocapsules by calcium phosphate mineralization of shell cross-linked polymer micelles and nanocages. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Self-assembled shell cross-linked poly(acrylic acid-b-isoprene) (PAA78-b-PI97) micelles or cross-linked PAA nanocages in aqueous solution were used as templates for the preparation of novel polymer-inorganic nanocapsules. The hybrid nanostructures were typically 50-70 nm in diameter and consisted of spherical polymer nanoparticles or nanocages enclosed within a continuous 10-20 nm thick surface layer of amorphous calcium phosphate. Nucleation of calcium phosphate specifically in association with the polymer nanoparticles was facilitated by low supersaturation levels and by sequestration of Ca2+ ions within the carboxylate-rich PAA domains prior to addition of HPO4(2-). Modifications in ionic concentrations were used to control the calcium phosphate surface layer thickness and prepare mineralized cross-linked PAA-b-PI micelles with variable shell permeability. The permeability of beta-carotene into the hydrophobic PI core of mineralized shell cross-linked PAA-b-PI micelles was reduced by approximately 50 or 100% respectively for hybrid nanostructures enclosed within 10 or 20 nm thick calcium phosphate layers. Our results suggest that calcium phosphate-polymer cross-linked nanocapsules could have potential applications as pH-responsive biocompatible hybrid nanostructures for use in applications such as drug delivery, bioimaging, and therapeutics.

published proceedings

  • Nano Lett

altmetric score

  • 3

author list (cited authors)

  • Perkin, K. K., Turner, J. L., Wooley, K. L., & Mann, S.

citation count

  • 144

complete list of authors

  • Perkin, Kris K||Turner, Jeffrey L||Wooley, Karen L||Mann, Stephen

publication date

  • July 2005