Stable polymethacrylate nanocapsules from ultraviolet light-induced template radical polymerization of unilamellar liposomes

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2006

Authors

gomes, jfpd (Author) Other; sonnen, afp (Author) Other; kronenberger, a (Author) Other; fritz, j (Author) Other; coelho, man (Author) FEUP; fournier, d (Author) Other; fournier-noel, c (Author) Other; mauzac, m (Author) Other; winterhalter, m (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Langmuir

Vol. 22 No. 18

Pages: 7755-7759

ISSN: 0743-7463

Publisher: American Chemical Society

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 36 Citations

Scopus - 30 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-004-HW3

DOI: 10.1021/la0613575

Abstract (EN): We employed UV-induced template polymerization to create hollow nanometer-sized polymer capsules. Homogeneous, unilamellar liposomes served as a two-dimensional template for the cross-linking of either butyl methacrylate or hydroxyethyl methacrylate with the bifunctional ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate. Different molar ratios of lipid/hydrophobic monomer/bifunctional monomer/photoinitiator were tested and dynamic light scattering revealed negligible changes of size at a defined molar ratio of 2/1/10/20, respectively. Cryo-transmission electron microscopy provided clear evidence that incorporation of the methacrylate monomers into and polymerization in the hydrophobic bilayer phase does not disrupt vesicle integrity. Moreover, after solubilization of the lipids, the polymethacrylate nanocapsules were stable at conditions needed for negative staining and could be visualized by atomic force microscopy. In contrast to previous findings, the nanocapsule size and shape did not change considerably after removal of the template phase, and the size distribution remained strictly monomodal. The employed method is not only an advance to fortify liposomes, but the nanocapsules themselves can be functionalized.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 5