Novel intelligent
nanocapsules with temperature-responsive cross-linked polymer shells and pH-responsive polymer brushes on their inner walls were designed by the ¡°polymerization from template?strategy via the surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) technique using silica nanoparticles as the templates. The two-step sequential SI-ATRP procedures provided poly(
tert-butyl acrylate) brushes on the inner walls of temperature-responsive cross-linked poly(
N-isopropyl acrylamide) shells. Then the tert-butyl ester groups in the
nanocapsules were transformed chemically into acrylic acid groups after the silica templates had been etched with hydrofluoric acid. The
hollow structures and the multiple environmental stimuli-responsive properties were validated with transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering techniques, respectively. In the strategy developed, the inner diameter, the cross-linking degree and the thickness of the shells, and the length of the functional brushes could be controlled by adjusting the preparation conditions.
From the Clinical Editor
This basic science paper discusses the synthesis and functions of novel intelligent nanocapsules with temperature-responsive cross-linked polymer shells and pH-responsive polymer brushes on their inner walls.
