Uniquely sized nanogels via crosslinking polymerization.

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Nanomedicine

Background:

• Nanogels are highly promising carriers in nanomedicine due to their nanoscale size, potential for targeted functionalization, and responsiveness to environmental stimuli like temperature and pH.
• Stimuli-induced changes in nanogels (shrinking/swelling) enable controlled release of therapeutic agents.
• The controlled synthesis of functional nanogels, particularly those with epoxide moieties for subsequent modification, is of significant interest.

Purpose of the Study:

• To achieve controlled synthesis of well-defined epoxide-functional nanogels.
• To investigate the size control of nanogels based on the degree of polymerization.
• To explore methods for post-synthesis functionalization of nanogels.

Main Methods:

• Controlled radical polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate and a bifunctional methacrylate crosslinker under dilute conditions.
• Characterization using FT-IR, DLS, size exclusion chromatography, NMR spectroscopy, AFM, and TEM.
• Functionalization via nucleophilic attack on epoxide groups with thiols/amines and reaction with sodium azide.

Main Results:

• Preparation of well-defined epoxide-functional nanogels with controlled sizes ranging from 38 nm to 95 nm and low polydispersity (0.2).
• Successful functionalization of nanogels with thiols or amines, yielding water-soluble nanogels without altering the backbone.
• Introduction of azide groups for further modification using click chemistry.

Conclusions:

• Controlled radical polymerization is an effective method for synthesizing size-tunable, epoxide-functional nanogels.
• The synthesized nanogels offer versatile functionalization pathways, enhancing their utility in nanomedicine.
• These functional nanogels serve as adaptable platforms for developing advanced drug delivery systems.