New class of organic nanoparticles shows promise for diverse applications

Nanoparticles are used in a wide range of applications, from drug delivery to electronics to air purification. Their small size and tunable properties make them particularly useful for technological advancements and scientific research. Grafting polymers made from nanoparticles improves the functionality of the materials.

organic Nanoparticles Although (oNPs) are more chemically versatile than inorganic materials and can be functionalized and customized for specific biomedical and technological applications, existing materials have limitations in terms of mechanical properties and chemical tunability.

a Recent Research Issuer Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) investigate the effects of oNP hyperbranching and chemical crosslinking, a process in which the two mechanisms combine to achieve a dense connected network.

The results of the research, led by Carnegie Mellon University professors Krzysztof Matyjaszewski and Michael Bockthaler of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, reveal that the functional properties and Elastic propertiesThis makes this new “bottom-up” approach suitable for creating functional materials for a wide range of applications. The research, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Basic Energy Sciences and conducted in collaboration with researchers at the University of Houston and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Germany, advances a fundamental understanding of the parameters that control the properties of oNPs and the chemical methods that enable their synthesis.

“By combining these processes, we were able to demonstrate that organic nanoparticles can exhibit inorganic-type stiffness,” Bockthaler said.

This high degree of control over oNP structure and properties has been made possible by a new, precise method for the synthesis of functional nanoparticles utilizing atom transfer. Radical Polymerization ATRP was developed by chemistry doctoral student Rongguan Yin, lead author of the study.

“The functionalized organic nanoparticles designed and precisely prepared by ATRP are in fact new giant single macromolecules with molar masses reaching 100 million daltons,” Matyjaszewski said.

A key feature of the new oNP system is its macroinitiator properties that enable versatile grafting modifications, and the resulting brush-bound oNPs, through direct assembly or integration, enable innovative applications across a range of nanomaterial technologies.

“The incorporation of functionality outlined in this study paves the way for further improvements in organic nanoparticles. optical properties “In terms of materials,” Bockthaler says.

Future studies from Bockstaller and Matyjaszewski’s groups will build on this work to further explore functionalization opportunities, such as fluorescence, of this new class of oNPs and measure their performance in real-world applications.