title: Synthesis and mass cytometric analysis of lanthanide-encoded polyelectrolyte microgels.
abstract: This article describes the synthesis and characterization of two series of functional polyelectrolyte copolymer microgels intended for bioassays based upon mass cytometry, a technique that detects metals by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The microgels were loaded with Eu(III) ions, which were then converted in situ to EuF(3) nanoparticles (NPs). Both types of microgels are based upon copolymers of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm) and methacrylic acid (MAA), poly(NIPAm/VCL/MAA) (VCL = N-vinylcaprolactam, V series), and poly(NIPAm/MAA/PEGMA) (PEGMA = poly(ethylene glycol)methacrylate, PG series). Very specific conditions (full neutralization of the MAA groups) were required to confine the EuF(3) NPs to the core of the microgels. We used mass cytometry to measure the number and the particle-to-particle variation of Eu ions per microgel. By controlling the amount of EuCl(3) added to the neutralized microgels. we could vary the atomic content of individual microgels from ca. 10(6) to 10(7) Eu atoms, either in the form of Eu(3+) ions or EuF(3) NPs. Leaching profiles of Eu ions from the hybrid microgels were measured by traditional ICP-MS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada.
authors.forename: Wanjuan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Xiaomei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Jieshu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.forename: Ahmed I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Abdelrahman
authors.forename: Adrienne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Halupa
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Baranov
authors.forename: Andrij
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pich
authors.forename: Mitchell A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Winnik
mesh_terms: D000180:Acrylic Resins / Q000737:chemistry*; D002209:Caprolactam / Q000737:chemistry; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D004573:Electrolytes / Q000737:chemistry*; D005063:Europium / Q000737:chemistry; D005782:Gels; D028581:Lanthanoid Series Elements / Q000737:chemistry*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008689:Methacrylates / Q000737:chemistry; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D000180:Acrylic Resins; D004573:Electrolytes; D005782:Gels; D028581:Lanthanoid Series Elements; D008689:Methacrylates; C008384:methacrylic acid; C052970:poly-N-isopropylacrylamide; D005063:Europium; D002209:Caprolactam