Nanoengineering Particles through Template Assembly

Abstract

The nanoengineering of particles is of interest for both fundamental and applied science. How particles are made substantially affects their properties and quality, and therefore usefulness. Disseminating current understanding of particle engineering can help facilitate the use of existing technologies, as well as guide future developments. Herein, we describe three methods used in our laboratory for the nanoengineering of particles, based on templated assembly, and discuss important considerations for each. Firstly, we describe the use of layer-by-layer assembly for depositing multilayered nanofilms on particle surfaces to generate core-shell particles and hollow capsules. Secondly, we detail the use of mesoporous silica templating for the engineering of porous polymer replica particles. Thirdly, we describe how the coordination of phenolic compounds and metal ions can be used to fabricate thin films via metal-phenolic network formation on particle templates. We provide stepwise, easy-to-follow guides for each method, and discuss commonly encountered challenges and obstacles, with considerations for how to alter these protocols to achieve desired particle properties. While we intend for these guides to be easily accessible to researchers new to particle engineering, we believe they can also provide useful insight to all researchers working in the field of engineering advanced particles.

Nanoengineering of Poly(ethylene glycol) Particles for Stealth and Targeting

“…[46][47][48] Much research in the engineering of PEG particles is also enabled by template assembly approaches. 49 This includes the formation of PEG particles via the mesoporous silica (MS) templating method and hollow capsules assembled using metalphenolic networks (MPNs), 50 and layer-by-layer assembly 51,52 using technologies such as flow-based devices 53,54 and fluidized beds. 55,56 Much of our recent work in the area of PEG particles has been conducted using the MS replication approach, where MS is used as template particles (in contrast to the solid, nonporous template particles commonly used for MPN and layer-by-layer assembly of capsules).…”

Coassembly of Gold Nanoclusters with Nucleic Acids: Sensing, Bioimaging, and Gene Transfection

“…Templates and linkers play an important role in assembly . Compared with short molecular linkers which are applied at short interparticle distances, typically several nanometers, DNA strands are striking candidates to precisely organize nanoscale objects on a much larger distance scale .…”

Particle Targeting in Complex Biological Media

“…de whether delivery efficiency is a good metric and, more generally, what the goal of nanomedicine should be [12] -it highlights the potential limitations in the field, despite the great developments achieved in the understanding of bio-nano interactions [6,13] and our increasing ability to tailor particle design and synthesis. [14] Researchers have become increasingly aware of the complexities involved in developing carriers suitable for the clinic, and in particular, the challenges associated with developing actively-targeted carriers. In many cases, promising in vitro targeting results have not translated well in vivo.…”