Critical gaps exist in the design and implementation of polymer micelles that present peripheral tageting or task-specific functionalities. The ability to functionalize the surface of nanoparticles with binders or ligands would significantly improve the paradigm for targeted micelle-surface interactions and hence the targeting capabilities. Many of these desired functional groups are predominately hydrophobic, which when exposed to aqueous environments, will tend to recede inwards towards the lipophilic core, negating any functionality they would otherwise provide at the periphery. This talk describes the optimization of coronal composition of di-block polymeric micelles in order to shift the radial distribution of hydrophobic functional end groups outwards. This has immediate applications in drug delivery, wastewater treatment, resource-recovery, and controlled nanoparticle synthesis in addition to others. The synthesis method being implemented is easily scalable and allows for the immediate diversification of both coronal and surface functionalities, several of which were examined and characterized using NMR, SAXS, Cryo-EM, and DLS. The effects that differing coronal chemistries have on the structure, stability, and self-assembly of micelles will be discussed.

Improving functionality and targeting capabilities of polymeric micelles

2019 Fall National Meeting

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