Preparation of Magnetite Nanoparticles Coated with an Amphiphilic Block Copolymer: A Potential Drug Carrier with a Core‐Shell‐Corona Structure for Hydrophobic Drug Delivery

Summary: The synthesis of magnetic magnetite nanoparticles coated with amphiphilic block copolymers of poly(ethyl methacrylate)‐block‐poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) for use as new potential carriers for hydrophobic drug delivery is reported. The results show that a new core‐shell‐corona structural material is obtained with a very narrow molecular weight distribution of the hydrophobic segment (PDI = 1.10). UV‐Vis results show that 37% of progesterone is released from the nanoparticles after 22 h, much slower than free release (99% after 14 h), which demonstrates that the presence of the hydrophobic segment can effectively control the release of hydrophobic drugs.

Synthesis of an amphiphilic block polymer poly(ethyl methacrylate)‐block‐poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) on magnetite nanoparticles and their use as potential drug carriers