Engineering RAFT Polymers to the Protein-capped Gold Nanoclusters for Developing Fluorescent Polymeric Nanoconjugates
Raviteja Gaddala1, Aruna Kumar Chelluboyina2, Sonu Kumar1
1Department of Chemistry, École Centrale School of Engineering, Mahindra University, Hyderabad, 500043, India.
Macromolecular Bioscience
|December 11, 2024
Summary
Researchers synthesized novel fluorescent hybrid nanomaterials by attaching polymers to gold nanoclusters stabilized by bovine serum albumin. These core-shell nanoconjugates exhibit dual thermo/pH-responsive properties, expanding their potential applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) offer unique optical properties but require stabilization.
- Bovine serum albumin (BSA) is a biocompatible protein used for stabilizing nanomaterials.
- Reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization allows controlled polymer synthesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize novel fluorescent hybrid nanomaterials.
- To engineer stimuli-responsive properties into these nanomaterials.
- To characterize the structure and optical properties of the synthesized nanoconjugates.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of gold nanoclusters stabilized by BSA (AuNCs@BSA).
- Grafting-to approach using RAFT polymers for surface modification.
- Characterization using microscopic and spectroscopic techniques.
Main Results:
- Successfully synthesized core-shell nanoconjugates (AuNCs@BSA/polymer) with sizes around 5 nm.
- Observed fluorescence emission peak at approximately 650 nm.
- Demonstrated dual thermo/pH-responsive behavior upon conjugation with poly(diethylene glycol monomethyl ether methacrylate) (PDEGMA).
Conclusions:
- The study presents a successful method for creating fluorescent hybrid nanomaterials.
- The developed nanoconjugates exhibit tunable stimuli-responsive characteristics.
- These hybrid nanomaterials hold promise for advanced applications in sensing and drug delivery.
