Controlling size, shape, and charge of nanoparticles via low-energy miniemulsion and heterogeneous RAFT polymerization

• Controlled radical polymerization. Low-energy miniemulsion. Nanoparticle shape, size, and charge. Size, charge are key parameters of nanoparticles, variations in these can significantly impact their properties applications. Among various nanoparticle synthesis methods, the combination low-energy miniemulsions with reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization allows for facile, rapid, environmentally friendly preparation uniform nanoparticles. However, this method cannot, yet, simultaneously control thereby limiting its potential Here we report polymeric nanoparticles concurrent over particle via miniemulsion heterogeneous RAFT Key to our approach is (i) a macromolecular surface-active agent facilitate formation nanodroplets, (ii) small-molecule surfactants different charges size (iii) molecular transformer morphology final In particular, negatively charged polystyrene sizes (from ∼100 ∼500 nm) shapes (sphere, worm, vesicle) were obtained by simply tuning amount added sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) toluene. The was then switched from negative positive replacing SDS cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), positively surfactant. addition, biocompatible neutral (including Tweens Span 80) employed tune yielding challenging-to-synthesize nanoworms. This work provides simple but powerful produce properties, thus expanding scope nanomaterials made