Controlled mixing of lanthanide(iii) ions in coacervate core micelles

Abstract

This article presents a facile strategy to combine Eu(3+) and Gd(3+) ions into coacervate core micelles in a controlled way with a statistical distribution of the ions. Consequently, the formed micelles show a high tunability between luminescence and relaxivity. These highly stable micelles present great potential for new materials, e.g. as bimodal imaging probes.

Electrostatic Polyion Micelles with Fluorescence and MRI Dual Functions

“…17 For this reason, various complexes containing Gd 3+ are widely used as T 1 contrast agents in practical applications. 18 −21 On the other hand, the AIE phenomenon has gained increasing attention in the field of bioimaging. 22,23 Different from the fluorescence quenching of most planar fluorophores, the propeller-like AIE molecules do not emit or emit weakly in the molecular state due to the intramolecular rotation which consumes the absorbed energy.…”

Controlling the number of dendrimers in dendrimicelle nanoconjugates from 1 to more than 100

“…For all stable micelles, the size is controlled by a balance between the interfacial tension of the (complex) core and the osmotic pressure in the corona, which essentially depends on the length of the neutral (PEO) blocks. 36,37 Since these two parameters do not depend on dendrimer generation, the micellar size and the number of diblocks per micelle, is constant and independent of dendrimer generation. Here, P2MVP 128 -b-PEO 477 diblock copolymers build up a cage of constant size xed by the number of block copolymers, hence, cationic groups, per micelle.…”

“…The critical salt concentration, C s,cr , reects the salt stability of micelles formed upon co-assembly of oppositely charged macromolecules. 36,37 We obtain the C s,cr of Gn-C3Ms from salt titration curves (Fig. 3) by taking the average of the two boundary points where the intensity drops to the baseline value.…”

Coacervation—A Method for Drug Delivery

“…Formation of lysozyme-heparin complex coacervates [21] at a pH near the physiological pH (pH-7.2) largely resembles the proto cellular type coordination. Among different scenarios, inter molecular complexation between oppositely charged macro molecules like lanthanide based [27] heavy metal, ATP-Polylysine [28][29][30][31], polynucleotide-ATP [32] coacervates have emerged a new field of research on microsphere based drug encapsulation as well as the self sustaining nature have emerged a new paradigm in the area of origin of life. Spontaneous self assembling behavior of fatty acid entrapped membrane on the surface of preformed coacervate micro droplets has also been investigated.…”