Two Non‐covalent Methods to Decorate Nanoparticles with Block Copolymers

Abstract

The physical adsorption of block copolymers is a simple and reliable approach to functionalize the surface of organic or inorganic nanoparticles. This article presents two novel methods of particle coating with block copolymers that may apply to various aqueous colloidal dispersions. The first method relies on the use of charged block copolymers having two adsorbing blocks, which can adopt a typical anchor‐buoy conformation at the particle surface when proper conditions are used. The second approach consists of self‐assembling a bilayer of amphiphilic block copolymers around charged nanoparticles. In both cases, a special emphasis is placed on the process used to control and orient the molecular interactions between the copolymer and the particles.

Compact Peptoid Molecular Brushes for Nanoparticle Stabilization

“…Meanwhile, PE5/AuNPs were stable in 1 M NaCl or MgCl 2 solution (Figures c,d and S9). At such high salt concentration, noncovalent shielding of NPs with short polymer chains is often susceptible to aggregation due to the detachment of the polymer. , Thus, our results suggest that PE5 can persistently bind to AuNPs through multidentate interactions and that the compact surface layer can achieve efficient shielding against NP–NP attraction. Indeed, compared to PE6 that only had a single amine at the N-terminus (Figures S9 and S10), PE6/AuNPs were susceptible to aggregation above 5 and 10 mM of MgCl 2 and NaCl, respectively, confirming that multiple Nae were required for strong PE5–Au interactions (Figure S9).…”