title: Tuning the hydrophilicity of gold nanoparticles templated in star block copolymers.
abstract: We report on a simple procedure to tune the hydrophilicity of hybrid gold nanoparticles. The nanoparticles have been prepared in the core of a poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PEG-b-PCL) five-arm star block copolymer. A hydrophilic corona was then added to these hybrid gold nanoparticles by direct chemisorption of trithiocarbonate-containing poly(acrylic acid) chains. These polymers were synthesized by RAFT polymerization with a trithiocarbonate as the chain-transfer agent. The efficiency of the grafting was evidenced by TEM, AFM, and DLS and by the successful transfer of these nanoparticles from organic solvent to water.
authors.affiliation: Unité de Chimie des Matériaux Inorganiques et Organiques (CMAT) and Research Center in Micro- and Nano-Materials and Electronic Devices (CeRMiN), Université catholique de Louvain, Place Pasteur 1, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
authors.forename: Charles-André
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Fustin
authors.forename: Catheline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Colard
authors.forename: Mariam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Filali
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Guillet
authors.forename: Anne-Sophie
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Duwez
authors.forename: Michael A R
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Meier
authors.forename: Ulrich S
authors.initials: US
authors.lastname: Schubert
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Gohy
mesh_terms: D000180:Acrylic Resins / Q000737:chemistry; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D007783:Lactones / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry; D017155:Wettability
chemical_list: D000180:Acrylic Resins; D007783:Lactones; C521904:poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(epsilon-caprolactone); D014867:Water; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; C006903:carbopol 940; D006046:Gold