Preparation of well-defined core-shell particles by Cu2+-mediated graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate from bovine serum albumin.
Small well-defined core-shell poly(methyl methacrylate)-bovine serum albumin (PMMA-BSA) particles have been prepared in a direct one-step graft copolymerization of MMA from BSA at 75 degrees C in water with a trace amount of Cu2+ (5 microM). Initially, BSA generates free radicals and acts as a multifunctional macroinitiator, which leads to the formation of an amphiphilic PMMA-BSA grafting copolymer. Such formed copolymer chains act as a polymeric stabilizer to promote further emulsion polymerization of MMA inside, resulting in surfactant-free stable core-shell particles, confirmed by a transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analysis. The PMMA-BSA copolymers as well as PMMA homopolymer inside the particles were isolated by Soxhlet extraction and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermogravimetry (TG). The highest grafting efficiency was approximately 80%. Effects of the reaction temperature, the MMA/BSA ratio, and the concentrations of Cu2+ and BSA on such core-shell particle formation have been systematically studied. Due to their inert PMMA core and biocompatible BSA shell, these small polymer particles are potentially useful in biomedical applications.
He
Chuanxin
C
The Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China.
Liu
Jianhong
J
Ye
Xiaodong
X
Xie
Laiyong
L
Zhang
Qianling
Q
Ren
Xiangzhong
X
Zhang
Guangzhao
G
Wu
Chi
C
D000818:Animals; D002413:Cations, Divalent / Q000737:chemistry; D002417:Cattle; D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry*; D020366:Methylmethacrylate / Q000737:chemistry*; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine / Q000737:chemistry*; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013499:Surface Properties; D013696:Temperature; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
D002413:Cations, Divalent; D011108:Polymers; D014867:Water; D020366:Methylmethacrylate; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine; D003300:Copper