Triblock Nanospheres and Their Use as Templates for Inorganic Nanoparticle Preparation

A polyisoprene- block -poly(2-cinnamoylethyl methacrylate)- block -poly( tert -butyl acrylate), PI- b -PCEMA- b -P t BA, sample with 370 isoprene, 420 CEMA, and 550 t BA repeat units forms spherical micelles in tetrahydrofuran (THF)/hexanes (HX) with 65% volume fraction of HX. The micelles consist of a PI corona, a solvent-insoluble PCEMA shell, and P t BA core. Their structure is locked in by photo-cross-linking the PCEMA shell to yield nanospheres. The nanospheres 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 P t BA. The feasibility of using such nanospheres as templates for inorganic nanoparticle preparation was demonstrated by incorporating iron oxide magnetic particles into the cores.