A simple hydrophobic-affinity-derived assembly approach to pack graphene sheets into a nanoporous foam structure has been developed. Nanoporous graphene foams with the highest pore volume and large surface area are obtained. The pore diameter of the graphene foams can be finely adjusted from the mesopore to the macropore range by employing spherical templates with different sizes.
The design of smart nanocarriers that could recognize and differentiate cancer cells and normal cells is of great importance in drug delivery. Here we report the first example of cancer cell-specific degradable dendritic mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (DDMONs). A unique pore structure-dependent glutathione (GSH)responsive degradation behavior is revealed: the degradation rates of two nanoparticles with different pore sizes are similar in normal cells ("leveling effect"), while large-pore DDMONs show a faster degradation rate than small-pore nanoparticles in cancer cells with relatively high intracellular GSH levels ("differentiating effect"). The cancer cell-specific degradability and concomitant cargo release lead to efficient protein delivery toward cancer cells but reduced cytotoxicity toward normal cells.
Asymmetric mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with controllable head-tail structures have been successfully synthesized. The head particle type is tunable (solid or porous), and the tail has dendritic large pores. The tail length and tail coverage on head particles are adjustable. Compared to spherical silica nanoparticles with a solid structure (Stöber spheres) or large-pore symmetrical MSNs with fully covered tails, asymmetrical head-tail MSNs (HTMSNs) show superior hemocompatibility due to reduced membrane deformation of red blood cells and decreased level of reactive oxygen species. Moreover, compared to Stöber spheres, asymmetrical HTMSNs exhibit a higher level of uptake and in vitro maturation of immune cells including dendritic cells and macrophage. This study has provided a new family of nanocarriers with potential applications in vaccine development and immunotherapy.
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