Mechanism of gold metal ion reduction, nanoparticle growth and size control in aqueous amphiphilic block copolymer solutions at ambient conditions

Spontaneous formation and efficient stabilization of gold nanoparticles with an average diameter of 7 approximately 20 nm from hydrogen tetrachloroaureate(III) hydrate (HAuCl4.3H2O) were achieved in air-saturated aqueous poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO) block copolymer solutions at ambient temperature in the absence of any other reducing agent. The particle formation mechanism is considered here on the basis of the block copolymer concentration dependence of absorption spectra, the time dependence (kinetics) of AuCl4- reduction, and the block copolymer concentration dependence of particle size. The effects of block copolymer characteristics such as molecular weight (MW), PEO block length, PPO block length, and critical micelle concentration (cmc) are explored by examining several PEO-PPO-PEO block copolymers. Our observations suggest that the formation of gold nanoparticles from AuCl4- comprises three main steps: (1) reduction of metal ions by block copolymer in solution, (2) absorption of block copolymer on gold clusters and reduction of metal ions on the surface of these gold clusters, and (3) growth of metal particles stabilized by block copolymers. While both PEO and PPO blocks contribute to the AuCl4- reduction (step 1), the PEO contribution appears to be dominant. In step 2, the adsorption of block copolymers on the surface of gold clusters takes place because of the amphiphilic character of the block copolymer (hydrophobicity of PPO). The much higher efficiency of particle formation attained in the PEO-PPO-PEO block copolymer systems as compared to PEO homopolymer systems can be attributed to the adsorption and growth processes (steps 2 and 3) facilitated by the block copolymers. The size of the gold nanoparticles produced is dictated by the above mechanism; the size increases with increasing reaction activity induced by the block copolymer overall molecular weight and is limited by adsorption due to the amphiphilic character of the block copolymers.     

Equivalent temperature and specific ion effects in macromolecule-coated colloid interactions

Ensemble total internal reflection microscopy is used to measure reversible temperature- and specific-ion-mediated interaction potentials between macromolecule-coated colloids and surfaces. Potentials are measured between PEO-PPO-PEO (poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide)) block copolymers adsorbed to hydrophobically modified silica colloids and glass or gold planar surfaces. Conditions investigated include temperatures from 20 to 47 degrees C and MgSO4 concentrations from 0.2 to 0.5 M. The solvent-quality-mediated copolymer layer collapse inferred by comparing measured potentials and the predicted van der Waals attraction, including effects of the adsorbed copolymer and surface roughness, displays good agreement with expected limits based on the PEO block contour length and the bulk PEO density. Superposition of all PEO layer collapse measurements onto a single universal curve, via a transformed temperature scale relative to a reference temperature in each case, indicates an equivalence of increasing temperature and increasing MgSO4 concentration when layer interactions and dimensions are mediated. Accurate knowledge of nanometer- and kT-scale interactions of copolymer-coated colloids as a function of temperature and MgSO4 concentration provides the ability to reversibly control the stability, phase behavior, and self-assembly of such particles.     

Interaction of urea with pluronic block copolymers by 1H NMR spectroscopy

Solution 1H NMR techniques were used to characterize the interaction of urea with poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO) triblock copolymers. The urea was established to interact selectively with the PEO blocks of the block copolymer, and the interaction sites were found not to change with increasing temperature. Such interactions influence the self-assembly properties of the block copolymer in solution by increasing the hydration of the block copolymers and stabilizing the gauche conformation of the PPO chain. Therefore, urea increases the critical micellization temperature (CMT) values of PEO-PPO-PEO copolymers, and the effect of urea on the CMT is more pronounced for copolymers with higher PEO contents and lower for those with increased contents of PPO segments.     

Small-angle neutron scattering study of adsorbed pluronic tri-block copolymers on laponite

The adsorption of selected poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO) tri-block copolymers on synthetic clay particles (laponite) has been investigated. The adsorbed amount and distribution of polymer was determined as a function of relative block composition and size, using the technique of contrast variation small-angle neutron scattering. The pluronic molecules appear to adsorb via a preferential segregation of hydrophobic PPO segments at the surface, with hydrophilic PEO segments dangling into solution. The effect of the PPO segments is substantial with large increases in adsorbed amount and layer thickness as the anchor fraction decreases/PEO chain length increases. This is in direct contrast to the behavior observed for PEO homopolymer adsorption (of much higher molecular weights) where the adsorbed amount and layer thickness are smaller and change little with molecular weight.     

Adsorption of poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) copolymers at the silica-water interface

The adsorption of amphiphilic poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) and poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(gamma-methyl-epsilon-caprolactone) copolymers in aqueous solution on silica and glass surfaces has been investigated by flow microcalorimetry, small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), surface forces, and complementary techniques. The studied copolymers consist of a poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) block of M(n) = 5000 and a hydrophobic polyester block of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) or poly(gamma-methyl-epsilon-caprolactone) (PMCL) of M(n) in the 950-2200 range. Compared to homoPEO, the adsorption of the copolymers is significantly increased by the connection of PEO to an aliphatic polyester block. According to calorimetric experiments, the copolymers interact with the surface mainly through the hydrophilic block. At low surface coverage, the PEO block interacts with the surface such that both PEO and PCL chains are exposed to the aqueous solution. At high surface coverage, a dense copolymer layer is observed with the PEO blocks oriented toward the solution. The structure of the copolymer layer has been analyzed by neutron scattering using the contrast matching technique and by tapping mode atomic force microscopy. The experimental observations agree with the coadsorption of micelles and free copolymer chains at the interface.     

Control of the PEO chain conformation on nanoparticles by adsorption of PEO-block-poly(L-lysine) copolymers and its significance on colloidal stability and protein repellency

The physical adsorption of PEO(n)-b-PLL(m) copolymers onto silica nanoparticles and the related properties of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-coated particles were studied as a function of the block copolymer composition. Copolymers adopt an anchor-buoy conformation at the particle surface owing to a preferential affinity of poly(L-lysine) (PLL) blocks with the silica surface over PEO blocks when a large excess of copolymer is used. The interdistance between PEO chains at particle surface is highly dependent on the size of PLL segments; a dense brush of PEO is obtained for short PLL blocks (DP = 10), whereas PEO chains adopt a so-called interacting "mushroom" conformation for large PLL blocks (DP = 270). The size of the PEO blocks does not really influence the copolymer surface density, but it has a strong effect on the PEO layer thickness as expected. Salt and protein stability studies led to similar conclusions about the effectiveness of a PEO layer with a dense brush conformation to prevent colloidal aggregation and protein adsorption. Besides, a minimal PEO length is required to get full stabilization properties; as a matter of fact, both PEO(45)-b-PLL(10) and PEO(113)-b-PLL(10) give rise to a PEO brush conformation but only the latter copolymer efficiently stabilizes the particles in the presence of salt or proteins.     

PAA/PEO comb polymer effects on rheological properties and inter-particle forces in aqueous silica suspensions

The effects of a poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)-poly(ethylene) (PEO) comb polymer dispersant on the rheological properties and inter-particle forces in aqueous silica suspensions have been studied under varying pH conditions. The comb polymer was found to adsorb more strongly under acidic than basic conditions, indicating that the PAA backbone of the copolymer preferentially adsorbs onto silica surfaces with the PEO "teeth" extending out from the surface into the solution. In the presence of low concentrations of copolymer, the silica suspensions were stable due to electrostatic repulsions between the silica surfaces. At higher copolymer concentrations and under neutral and basic conditions, where the copolymer interacted only weakly with silica, the suspensions showed a transition from a dispersed to weakly flocculated state and attractive forces were measured between silica surfaces. Under acidic conditions, the silica dispersion also destabilized at intermediate copolymer adsorbed density and then was re-stabilized at higher adsorbed coverage. The silica suspensions were stable at high copolymer coverage due to steric repulsions between the particles. The destabilization at intermediate coverage is thought to be due to polymer bridging between particles or possibly depletion forces.     

Rheology of aqueous solutions of polyglycidol-based analogues to pluronic block copolymers

The aqueous solution properties of a series of polyglycidol-poly(propylene oxide)-polyglycidol (PG-PPO-PG) block copolymers were investigated by means of rheology. The copolymers are considered as analogues to the commercially available Pluronic, poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO), block copolymers in which the flanking PEO blocks are substituted by blocks of structurally similar PG bearing a hydroxyl group in each repeating monomer unit. In the dilute regime, the samples normally behave as Newtonian fluids. Shear thinning was observed only for the solutions of LGP65 (the copolymer of 50 wt % PG content) as well as at concentrations well above the critical micellization concentration for the rest of the copolymers. The zero shear viscosities exhibited pronounced maxima at PG content of 50 wt % and were found to decrease with increasing temperature. The concentrated solutions were investigated using oscillatory measurements. Large hystereses were observed during the temperature sweeps 15-70-15 degrees C. The evolutions of the loss and storage moduli with frequency, PG content, and temperature displayed transitions from a non-elastic to elastic behavior of the solutions. A phase diagram showing areas of predominant elasticity or fluidity was constructed.     

Adsorption studies of polyethers Part II: adsorption onto hydrophilic surfaces

The adsorption of BAB-type triblock copolymers (B=poly(ethylene oxide); A=poly(propylene oxide)) from aqueous solution onto hydrophilic silica particles is described with particular reference to the role of the copolymer composition. The adsorbed amount and the layer thickness were determined by the standard depletion method and photon correlation spectroscopy, respectively. Snowtex-YL silica was used as the adsorbent. The results show an increase in the adsorbed amount with increasing molar masses of both PEO and PPO blocks. The adsorbed layer thickness is found to depend strongly on PEO block mass. Both these parameters (adsorbed amount and hydrodynamic layer thickness) show a maximum as a function of the mole fraction of the PPO block present in the copolymer. The conformation of the adsorbed layer is determined by the surface–copolymer interaction; principally by the interaction of the hydrophilic PEO block with the silica surface. A good qualitative agreement of the experimental results with theoretical predictions and self-consistent mean field calculations has been found.     

Micellization phenomena of biodegradable amphiphilic triblock copolymers consisting of poly(beta-hydroxyalkanoic acid) and poly(ethylene oxide)

This paper reports the studies on micelle formation of new biodegradable amphiphilic poly(ethylene oxide)-poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate]-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PHB-PEO) triblock copolymer with various PHB and PEO block lengths in aqueous solution. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the micelles took an approximately spherical shape with the surrounding diffuse outer shell formed by hydrophilic PEO blocks. The size distribution of the micelles formed by one triblock copolymer was demonstrated by dynamic light scattering technique. The critical micellization phenomena of the copolymers were extensively studied using the pyrene fluorescence dye absorption technique, and the (0,0) band changes of pyrene excitation spectra were used as a probe for the studies. For the copolymers studied in this report, the critical micelle concentrations ranged from 1.3 x 10(-5) to 1.1 x 10(-3) g/mL. For the same PEO block length of 5000, the critical micelle concentrations decreased with an increase in PHB block length, and the change was more significant in the short PHB range. It was found that the micelle formation of the biodegradable amphiphilic triblock copolymers consisting of poly(beta-hydroxyalkanoic acid) and PEO was relatively temperature-insensitive, which is quite different from their counterparts consisting of poly(alpha-hydroxyalkanoic acid) and PEO.     

Adsorption of Diblock Copolymers of Poly(ethylene oxide) and Polylactide at Hydrophobized Silica from Aqueous Solution

The adsorption of a series of amphiphilic diblock copolymers of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(DL-lactide) (PL) at hydrophobized silica from aqueous solution was studied using time-resolved ellipsometry and reflectometry. The adsorbed amounts only display a weak dependence on the copolymer composition in both water and phosphate-buffered solution. For the short copolymers, the layer thickness decreases slightly with increasing length of the hydrophobic block. Furthermore, in comparison with the short copolymers, the layer thickness of the long copolymers is substantially higher. Upon degradation of the PL block, the adsorbed amount is found to decrease and approach that of the corresponding PEO homopolymer. Protein rejection studies indicate that the adsorption of fibrinogen is inhibited by copolymer preadsorption. The protein rejection is enhanced with increasing surface coverage of the preadsorbed copolymer, but largely independent of the length of the PL block and the PEO block. For all polymers investigated, essentially complete protein rejection is obtained above a critical surface coverage that is significantly lower than the saturation coverage of the copolymers. Removing the copolymer from bulk solution after preadsorption causes a partial desorption, resulting in reduced protein rejection. However, the protein rejection capacity with and without copolymer in the bulk solution is found to be similar at a given surface coverage. Contrary to the behavior of the intact copolymers, fibrinogen adsorption is found to be significant at surfaces pretreated with an extensively degraded copolymer and, in fact, quantitatively comparable to that at the hydrophobic surface in the absence of preadsorption. This finding, together with that of the effect of the copolymer composition on protein rejection, suggests that an efficient protein rejection is maintained until only a few L units remain in the copolymer, i.e., until nearly completed degradation. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

PEO-PPO-PEO水溶液体系胶束化及凝胶化行为的耗散粒子动力学模拟

采用耗散粒子动力学(Dissipative particle dynamics, DPD)模拟方法研究了三嵌段共聚物聚氧乙烯-聚氧丙烯-聚氧乙烯(PEO-PPO-PEO)的胶束化和凝胶化行为. 通过模拟得到了F127(EO₉₉PO₆₅EO₉₉)水溶液的临界胶束浓度和临界凝胶浓度. 结果发现, 在298 K、 质量分数低于40%时, F127水溶液中形成的胶束形状均为球形. 此外,进一步研究了亲水嵌段长度对胶束结构及凝胶形成浓度的影响, 结果发现, 亲水嵌段越短, 越有利于长椭球状胶束的形成, 而临界凝胶浓度随着亲水嵌段PEO长度的增加而降低.     

Spontaneous formation of gold nanoparticles in poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide) solutions: solvent quality and polymer structure effects

We report here on the effects that the solution properties of poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymers have on the reduction of hydrogen tetrachloroaurate(III) hydrate (HAuCl4.3H2O) and the size of gold nanoparticles produced. The amphiphilic block copolymer solution properties were modulated by varying the temperature and solvent quality (water, formamide, and their mixtures). We identified two main factors, (i) block copolymer conformation or structure (e.g., loops vs entanglements, nonassociated polymers vs micelles) and (ii) interactions between AuCl4- ions and block copolymers (attractive ion-dipole interactions vs repulsive interactions due to hydrophobicity), to be important for controlling the competition between the reactivities of AuCl4- reduction in the bulk solution to form gold seeds and on the surface of gold seeds (particles) and the particle size determination. The particle size increase observed with increased temperature in aqueous solutions is attributed to enhanced hydrophobicity of the block copolymer, which favors AuCl4- reduction on the surface of seeds. The lower reactivity and higher particle sizes observed in formamide solutions are attributed to the shielding of ion-dipole interaction between AuCl4- ions and block copolymers by formamide, which overcomes the beneficial effects of formamide on the block copolymer conformation (lower micelle concentration).     

Langmuir monolayer and Langmuir–Blodgett films of amphiphilic triblock copolymers with water-soluble middle block

Langmuir monolayers and Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) film morphology of amphiphilic triblock copolymers are studied using surface pressure-area measurements and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. The triblock copolymers are composed of long water-soluble poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) chains as middle block with very short poly(perfluorohexylethyl methacrylate) (PFMA) end blocks. The surface pressure-area isotherms show phase transitions in the brush regime. This phase transition is due to a rearrangement of PFMA block at the air–water interface. It becomes more significant with increasing PFMA content in the copolymer. LB films transferred at low surface pressures from the air–water interface to hydrophilic silicon substrates show surface micelles in the size range of 50–100 nm. A typical crystalline morphology of the corresponding PEO homopolymer is observed in LB films of copolymers with very short PFMA blocks, transferred in the brush region at high surface pressure. This crystallization is hindered with increasing PFMA content in the copolymer.     

Effects of poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymers on structure and stability of liposomal dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine

The effects caused by poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO; Pluronic) copolymers on the structure and stability of dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) liposomes were studied by means of turbidity, leakage, and cryo-transmission electron microscopy investigations. The results show that by inclusion of Pluronics in the DOPE dispersion it is possible to stabilize the lamellar Lalpha phase and to produce liposomes that are stable and nonleaky at low pH (pH 5). The stabilizing capacity was observed to depend critically on the molecular composition of the Pluronics. Block copolymers with comparably long PPO and PEO segment lengths, such as F127 and F108, most effectively protected DOPE liposomes prepared at high pH from aggregation and subsequent structural rearrangements induced by acidification. A sufficiently long PPO block was found to be the most decisive parameter in order to obtain adequate coverage of the liposome surface at low Pluronic concentrations. Upon increasing the copolymer concentration, however, Pluronics with comparably short PPO and PEO segment lengths, such as F87 and P85, could also be used to stabilize the DOPE liposomes. Essentially the same trends were observed when the Pluronics were added to preformed DOPE liposomes instead of being included in the preparation mixture. In this case the least effective copolymers failed, however, to completely prevent the DOPE liposomes from releasing encapsulated hydrophilic markers.     

Poly(ethylene oxide)–poly(ethylene imine) block copolymers as templates and catalysts for the in situ formation of monodisperse silica nanospheres

Block copolymers based on poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(ethylene imine) (PEI) are efficient catalysts/templates for the formation of uniform silica nanoparticles. Addition of tetraethylorthosilicate to a solution of PEO–PEI or PEI–PEO–PEI block copolymers results in the formation of silica particles with a diameter of ca. 30 nm and narrow size distribution. The particles precipitated with the diblock copolymers can be redispersed in water after isolation as individual nanoparticles. Evidently, block copolymers based on PEO and PEI serve as excellent templates for the biomimetic and “soft” synthesis of silica nanoparticles.

The Synthesis of Poly(ethylene oxide)-Block-Polybutylacrylate

ＴｈｅＳｙｎｔｈｅｓｉｓｏｆＰｏｌｙ（ｅｔｈｙｌｅｎｅｏｘｉｄｅ）┐Ｂｌｏｃｋ┐Ｐｏｌｙｂｕｔｙｌａｃｒｙｌａｔｅ＊＊ＳｕｐｐｏｒｔｅｄｂｙｔｈｅＮａｔｉｏｎａｌＮａｔｕｒａｌＳｃｉｅｎｃｅＦｏｕｎｄａｔｉｏｎｏｆＣｈｉｎａａｎｄＤｏｃｔｏｒａｌｆｏ...     

XPS and wettability characterization of modified poly(lactic acid) and poly(lactic/glycolic acid) films

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(lactic/glycolic acid) copolymers (PLGA) are biodegradable drug carriers of great importance, although successful pharmaceutical application requires adjustment of the surface properties of the polymeric drug delivery system to be compatible with the biological environment. For that reason, reduction of the original hydrophobicity of the PLA or PLGA surfaces was performed by applying a hydrophilic polymer poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) with the aim to improve biocompatibility of the original polymer. PEO-containing surfaces were prepared by incorporation of block copolymeric surfactants, poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (Pluronic), into the hydrophobic surface. Films of polymer blends from PLA or PLGA (with lactic/glycolic acid ratios of 75/25 and 50/50) and from Pluronics (PE6800, PE6400, and PE6100) were obtained by the solvent casting method, applying the Pluronics at different concentrations between 1 and 9.1% w/w. Wettability was measured to monitor the change in surface hydrophobicity, while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was applied to determine the composition and chemical structure of the polymer surface and its change with surface modification. Substantial reduction of surface hydrophobicity was achieved on both the PLA homopolymer and the PLGA copolymers by applying the Pluronics at various concentrations. In accordance with the wettability changes the accumulation of Pluronics in the surface layer was greatly affected by the initial hydrophobicity of the polymer, namely, by the lactide content of the copolymer. The extent of surface modification was also found to be dependent on the type of blended Pluronics. Surface activity of the modifying Pluronic component was interpreted by using the solubility parameters.     

Synthesis and characterization of a poly(para-phenyleneethynylene)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) rod-coil block copolymer

The synthesis of the poly(para-phenyleneethynylene)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymer (PPE-b-PEO) ( 1 ) via condensation of endfunctionalized poly(para-phenyleneethynylene) (PPE) ( 5 ) and poly(ethylene oxide) monomethyl ether (PEO) is reported. This is achieved by the initial synthesis of a PPE homopolymer with quantitative terminal functionalization, as proven by ¹H NMR and field desorption mass spectrometry (FD-MS). Reaction of the latter with PEO affords the block copolymer 1 , which was characterized by ¹H NMR spectroscopy, FD-MS and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Furthermore it is shown that matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) is a suitable method to investigate PPE-b-PEO with respect to molecular weights and copolymer composition.     

Poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(styrene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) copolymers: Micellization, drug solubilization, and gelling features

Two new poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(styrene oxide) triblock copolymers (PEO-PSO-PEO) with optimized block lengths selected on the basis of previous studies were synthesized with the aim of achieving a maximal solubilization ability and a suitable sustained release, while keeping very low material expense and excellent aqueous copolymer solubility. The self-assembling and gelling properties of these copolymers were characterized by means of light scattering, fluorescence spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and rheometry. Both copolymers formed spherical micelles (12-14 nm) at very low concentrations. At larger concentration (>25 wt%), copolymer solutions showed a rich phase behavior, with the appearance of two types of rheologically active (more viscous) fluids and of physical gels depending on solution temperature and concentration. The copolymer behaved notably different despite their relatively similar block lengths. The ability of the polymeric micellar solutions to solubilize the antifungal drug griseofulvin was evaluated and compared to that reported for other structurally-related block copolymers. Drug solubilization values up to 55 mg g⁻¹ were achieved, which are greater than those obtained by previously analyzed poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(styrene oxide), poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(butylene oxide), and poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide) block copolymers. The results indicate that the selected SO/EO ratio and copolymer block lengths were optimal for simultaneously achieving low critical micelle concentrations (cmc) values and large drug encapsulation ability. The amount of drug released from the polymeric micelles was larger at pH 7.4 than at acidic conditions, although still sustained over 1 day.