Photoresponsive polymersomes as smart, triggerable nanocarriers

Photoresponsive crosslinked hyperbranched polyglycerols as smart nanocarriers for guest binding and controlled release.

A convenient methodology for the synthesis of photolabile crosslinked hyperbranched polyglycerol nanocapsules is presented. These nanocarriers selectively and efficiently bind ionic guest molecules. The stability of the host-guest complexes formed depends on the counterion of the guest molecules. Moreover, the control over guest binding can be achieved by modification of the polymer building bl...

CO2-breathing and piercing polymersomes as tunable and reversible nanocarriers.

Despite numerous studies on utilizing polymeric vesicles as nanocapsules, fabrication of tunable molecular pathways on transportable vesicle walls remains challenging. Traditional methods for building penetrated channels on vesicular membrane surface often involve regulating the solvent polarity or photo-cross-linking. Herein, we developed a neat, green approach of stimulation by using CO2 gas ...

NIR photoresponsive crosslinked upconverting nanocarriers toward selective intracellular drug release.

An NIR-responsive mesoporous silica coated upconverting nanoparticle (UCNP) conjugate is developed for controllable drug delivery and fluorescence imaging in living cells. In this work, antitumor drug doxorubicin (Dox) molecules are encapsulated within cross-linked photocaged mesoporous silica coated UCNPs. Upon 980 nm light irradiation, Dox could be selectively released through the photocleava...

Book Review: Smart Pharmaceutical Nanocarriers

A Photoresponsive Smart Covalent Organic Framework**

Ordered π-columnar structures found in covalent organic frameworks (COFs) render them attractive as smart materials. However, external-stimuli-responsive COFs have not been explored. Here we report the design and synthesis of a photoresponsive COF with anthracene units as the photoresponsive π-building blocks. The COF is switchable upon photoirradiation to yield a concavo-convex polygon skeleto...