Web Release Date: June 14,
Tuning the Hydrophilicity of Gold Nanoparticles Templated in Star Block Copolymers
and
Unité de Chimie des Matériaux Inorganiques et Organiques (CMAT) and Research Center in Micro- and Nano-Materials and Electronic Devices (CeRMiN), Université catholique de Louvain, Place Pasteur 1, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, Unité de Chimie et de Physique des Hauts Polymères (POLY) and CeRMiN, Université catholique de Louvain, Place Croix du Sud 1, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, Laboratory of Macromolecular Chemistry and Nanoscience, Eindhoven University of Technology and Dutch Polymer Institute, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Received March 21, 2006
In Final Form: May 10, 2006
Abstract:
We report on a simple procedure to tune the hydrophilicity of hybrid gold nanoparticles. The nanoparticles have
been prepared in the core of a poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(
-caprolactone) (PEG-b-PCL) five-arm star block
copolymer. A hydrophilic corona was then added to these hybrid gold nanoparticles by direct chemisorption of
trithiocarbonate-containing poly(acrylic acid) chains. These polymers were synthesized by RAFT polymerization with
a trithiocarbonate as the chain-transfer agent. The efficiency of the grafting was evidenced by TEM, AFM, and DLS
and by the successful transfer of these nanoparticles from organic solvent to water.
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