title: Prussian blue nanocontainers: selectively permeable hollow metal-organic capsules from block ionomer emulsion-induced assembly.
abstract: Hollow polymer-based particles are useful for the encapsulation, protection, and release of active compounds. Adding a metal-organic coordination framework shell to nanocontainers is an attractive goal because it should help control their stability and permeability while yielding new properties and functions. We have discovered that polymer capsules with a Prussian blue analogue inner shell can be synthesized by emulsion-induced assembly of a metal-containing amphiphilic block ionomer. The capsules are selectively permeable and were used as nanocontainers to encapsulate and release a model compound. Further, these nanomaterials are tunable in size and organize into 2-D close-packed arrays in the solid state. Potential applications for these materials include the encapsulation and nanopatterning of pharmaceutical, biological, and catalytic compounds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z1.
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: Joseph K-H
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Hui
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rabnawaz
authors.forename: Guojun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: MacLachlan