Polymer Nanoassembly as Delivery Systems and Anti-Bacterial Toolbox: From PGMAs to MSN@PGMAs

Researches on cargo delivery systems have received burgeoning attention and advanced rapidly. For synthetic nanodevices, polymer nanoassemblies and their inorganic-organic hybrid materials, especially smart mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN)-polymer hybrids (e. g., MSN@PGMAs), have attracted increasing attention in recent years. Their superior characteristics and unique features such as dynamic transition of morphology endow them the ability to efficiently entrap cargo molecules and undergo smart cargo delivery and release in response to various external stimuli. In this Personal Account, we present our recent research progress in the construction of cargo delivery systems based on polymers, poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) and its derivatives in particular, ranging from polymer nanoparticles, reverse micelles, to vesicles and reverse vesicles, and their performance in the delivery and controlled release of model molecules and therapeutic agents. Significantly, MSN-PGMA hybrid nanoassemblies (MSN@PGMAs), constructed with the aid of atom transfer radical polymerization, host-guest interactions, or layer-by-layer self-assembly techniques, and their potential bio-related applications and anti-bacterial applications as new nanocarriers are reviewed. Finally, the prospects and challenges of such nanoplatforms are also discussed.