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Phase Behavior of Charged Vesicles Under Symmetric and Asymmetric Solution Conditions Monitored with Fluorescence Microscopy

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Thermally Driven Dynamic Behaviors in Polymeric Vesicles.

Matthew E Allen^1,2,3,4, Yeyang Sun^1,4,5, Chi Long Chan¹

¹Department of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, London, W12 0BZ, UK.

Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)

|March 5, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Thermally responsive polymersomes transform into dynamic, sponge-like droplets upon heating. These synthetic cell models exhibit contractility, fusion, and cargo trapping, advancing soft matter engineering.

Keywords:

biomimicry polymersomes self‐assembly synthetic cells thermally responsive

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Published on: September 26, 2016

Area of Science:

Soft Matter Engineering
Synthetic Biology
Polymer Science

Background:

Stimuli-responsive polymeric vesicles are crucial for developing synthetic cells.
Polymeric vesicles mimic dynamic cell-like behaviors for advanced applications.
Existing platforms require further development for enhanced functionality.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop thermally responsive polymeric droplets from PEO-PBO polymersomes.
To create synthetic cell models capable of mimicking key biological functions.
To explore the dynamic properties and interfacing capabilities of these droplets.

Main Methods:

Synthesis of poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(butylene oxide) (PEO-PBO) polymersomes.
Induction of vesicle-to-droplet transformation via controlled heating.
Characterization of droplet morphology, dynamics, and cargo-trapping abilities.

Main Results:

Nanoscale vesicles fused into sponge-like microscale droplets upon heating.
Droplets exhibited temperature-induced contractility, fusion, and cargo trapping.
Successful trapping of small molecules and bacteria demonstrated biological interfacing.

Conclusions:

Developed sponge-like droplets show significant potential for synthetic cell applications.
Findings enhance understanding of PEO-PBO polymersomes' unique thermal responsiveness.
This work advances soft matter engineering towards mimicking cell-like behaviors.