title: Radiation Engineering of Multifunctional Nanogels.
abstract: Nanogels combine the favourable properties of hydrogels with those of colloids. They can be soft and conformable, stimuli-responsive and highly permeable, and can expose a large surface with functional groups for conjugation to small and large molecules, and even macromolecules. They are among the very few systems that can be generated and used as aqueous dispersions. Nanogels are emerging materials for targeted drug delivery and bio-imaging, but they have also shown potential for water purification and in catalysis. The possibility of manufacturing nanogels with a simple process and at relatively low cost is a key criterion for their continued development and successful application. This paper highlights the most important structural features of nanogels related to their distinctive properties, and briefly presents the most common manufacturing strategies. It then focuses on synthetic approaches that are based on the irradiation of dilute aqueous polymer solutions using high-energy photons or electron beams. The reactions constituting the basis for nanogel formation and the approaches for controlling particle size and functionality are discussed in the context of a qualitative analysis of the kinetics of the various reactions.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, Gestionale, Informatica, Meccanica, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Edificio 6, 90128, Palermo, Italy. clelia.dispenza@unipa.it.|School of Chemical Science and Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), 100 44, Stockholm, Sweden. clelia.dispenza@unipa.it.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dispenza
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, Gestionale, Informatica, Meccanica, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Edificio 6, 90128, Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Spadaro
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Science and Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), 100 44, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jonsson
mesh_terms: D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry*; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry; D011839:Radiation, Ionizing
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D020100:Hydrogels; D011108:Polymers
keywords: Crosslinking; Nanogels; Radiation processing; Synthesis of nanoparticles