title: Water-soluble fluorescent diblock nanospheres.
abstract: The hydroxyl groups of poly(tert-butyl acrylate)-block-poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) or PtBA-b-PHEMA were reacted with succinic anhydride to introduce some carboxyl groups into the PHEMA block. Such carboxyl groups were then reacted with Texas-red cadverine (TX-NH(2)) to incorporate dye molecules. The TX-bearing diblocks formed probably spherical micelles in block-selective solvent DMF/toluene containing 2% DMF. "Permanent" micelles or nanospheres were prepared after cross-linking the TX-bearing PHEMA core block. Such nanospheres were made water soluble by cleaving the tert-butyl groups from the PtBA coronas. Water-soluble nanospheres with high TX numbers and fluorescence quantum yields may find applications in fluorescence in situ hybridization assays.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4.
authors.forename: Zhao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Guojun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Say-Jong
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Law
authors.forename: Todd
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sells
mesh_terms: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry*; D008823:Micelles; D008863:Microspheres; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D011102:Polyhydroxyethyl Methacrylate / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D012995:Solubility; D013057:Spectrum Analysis; D014966:Xanthenes / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008823:Micelles; D014966:Xanthenes; D011102:Polyhydroxyethyl Methacrylate; C034657:Texas red