title: Photoinduced Vesicle Formation via the Copper-Catalyzed Azide-Alkyne Cycloaddition Reaction.
abstract: Synthetic vesicles have a wide range of applications from drug and cosmetic delivery to artificial cell and membrane studies, making simple and controlled formation of vesicles a large focus of the field today. Here, we report the use of the photoinitiated copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction using visible light to introduce spatiotemporal control into the formation of vesicles. Upon the establishment of the spatiotemporal control over vesicle formation, it became possible to adjust initiation conditions to modulate vesicle sizes resulting in the formation of controllably small or large vesicles based on light intensity or giant vesicles when the formation was initiated in flow-free conditions. Additionally, this photoinitiated method enables vesicle formation at a density 400-fold higher than initiation using sodium ascorbate as the catalyst. Together, these advances enable the formation of high-density, controlled size vesicles using low-energy wavelengths while producing enhanced control over the formation characteristics of the vesicle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado , 3415 Colorado Avenue, JSC Biotech Building, Boulder, Colorado 80303, United States.
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Konetski
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado , 3415 Colorado Avenue, JSC Biotech Building, Boulder, Colorado 80303, United States.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado , 3415 Colorado Avenue, JSC Biotech Building, Boulder, Colorado 80303, United States.
authors.forename: Christopher N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Bowman
mesh_terms: D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D001386:Azides / Q000737:chemistry*; D002384:Catalysis; D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry*; D061565:Cycloaddition Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D055668:Photochemical Processes
chemical_list: D001386:Azides; D003300:Copper; D001205:Ascorbic Acid