title: CO2-breathing and piercing polymersomes as tunable and reversible nanocarriers.
abstract: Despite numerous studies on utilizing polymeric vesicles as nanocapsules, fabrication of tunable molecular pathways on transportable vesicle walls remains challenging. Traditional methods for building penetrated channels on vesicular membrane surface often involve regulating the solvent polarity or photo-cross-linking. Herein, we developed a neat, green approach of stimulation by using CO2 gas as "molecular drill" to pierce macroporous structures on the membrane of polymersomes. By simply introducing CO2/N2 gases into the aqueous solution of self-assemblies without accumulating any byproducts, we observed two processes of polymeric shape transformation: "gas breathing" and "gas piercing." Moreover, the pathways in terms of dimension and time were found to be adjustable simply by controlling the CO2 stimulation level for different functional encapsulated molecules in accumulation, transport, and releasing. CO2-breathing and piercing of polymersomes offers a promising functionality to tune nanocapsules for encapsulating and releasing fluorescent dyes and bioactive molecules in living systems and also a unique platform to mimic the structural formation of nucleus pore complex and the breathing process in human beings and animals.
authors.affiliation: Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics &Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (P.R. China).
authors.forename: Anchao
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics &Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (P.R. China).
authors.forename: Jiamei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics &Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (P.R. China).
authors.forename: Jinzhao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States.
authors.forename: Jinbo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dou
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States.
authors.forename: Shanfeng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics &Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (P.R. China).
authors.forename: Jinying
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yuan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000166:cytology; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D050091:Dendrimers / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry; D008689:Methacrylates / Q000737:chemistry; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D015394:Molecular Structure; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000187:drug effects; D053769:Nanocapsules / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009757:Nylons / Q000737:chemistry; D011108:Polymers / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D053835:Unilamellar Liposomes / Q000737:chemistry; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D050091:Dendrimers; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008689:Methacrylates; D053769:Nanocapsules; D009757:Nylons; D011108:Polymers; D053835:Unilamellar Liposomes; C109846:poly(2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate); D014867:Water; D002245:Carbon Dioxide