Hybrid organic−inorganic nanostructures containing metals (e.g., Ag and Au) and polymers are very intriguing materials, as they combine the flexible and tailorable features of polymers with optical, electrical, and photophysical properties of metals, and because of these synergistic properties, they can find applications in areas including catalysis, plasmonic lasers, sensing, and theranostics. We combine intrinsically fluorescent conjugated oligomers/polymers with Au or Ag nanoparticles in one platform to be used as a multimodal therapeutic nanocarrier in which due to gold, photothermal therapy and the conjugated oligomer/polymer matrix photodynamic therapy would be possible. Moreover, nanoparticles could also be loaded with drug molecules for the additional chemotherapeutic effect. Imaging would also be possible due to the inherent luminescence properties of the matrix. In our design for the formation of metal nanoparticles, there is no need to use of extra reducing agents as the oligomer or polymer used acts a matrix to accommodate the metal ions as well as has ability to reduce the ions and form nanoparticles. Depending on the design we select, it would be possible to obtain raspberry type hybrid nanoparticles in which metal particles grow on the surfaces of the nanoparticles or core-shell type hybrid nanoparticles in that the metal ions are entrapped by the nanoparticles and subsequently reduced into their metallic state and allow the formation of core metal nanoparticles. Additionally, we are also working on the encapsulation of super paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle (SPIONs) by conjugated oligomers/polymers for dual optical and magnetic imaging applications. In this approach, conjugated polymers with cross-linkable groups are used in order to hold tightly the SPIONs and prevent their leakage. These hybrid nanoparticles could also be loaded with drug molecules for the extra chemotherapeutic effect.

Hybrid conjugated oligomer/polymer-metal nanoparticles

256th National Meeting (2018)

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