Triblock nanospheres and their use as templates for inorganic nanoparticlepreparation

A polyisoprene-bloch-poly(2-cinnamoylethyl methacrylate)-block-poly(tert-bu tyl acrylate), PI-b-PCEMA-b-PtBA, sample with 370 isoprene, 420 CEMA, and 5 50 tBA repeat units forms spherical micelles in tetrahydrofuran (THF)/hexan es (HX) with 65% volume fraction of HX. The micelles consist of a PI corona , a solvent-insoluble PCEMA shell, and PtBA core. Their structure is locked in by photo-cross-linking the PCEMA shell to yield nanospheres. The nanosp heres were made water-dispersible by hydroxylating the PI double bonds. The core was made compatible with inorganic species by removing the tert-butyl groups of PtBA. The feasibility of using such nanospheres as templates for inorganic nanoparticle preparation was demonstrated by incorporating iron oxide magnetic particles into the cores.