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Subcompartmentalized Polymer Hydrogel Capsules with Selectively Degradable Carriers and Subunits
Author(s) -
Kulygin Olga,
Price Andrew D.,
Chong SiowFeng,
Städler Brigitte,
Zelikin Alexander N.,
Caruso Frank
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.201000453
Subject(s) - methacrylic acid , polymer , covalent bond , drug carrier , drug delivery , materials science , biocatalysis , self healing hydrogels , degradation (telecommunications) , chemistry , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , combinatorial chemistry , polymer chemistry , organic chemistry , polymerization , reaction mechanism , catalysis , telecommunications , computer science , engineering
Subcompartmentalized hydrogel capsules (SHCs) with selectively degradable carriers and subunits are designed for potential applications in drug delivery and microencapsulated biocatalysis. Thiolated poly(methacrylic acid) and poly(N‐vinyl pyrrolidone) are used to assemble 3‐µm‐diameter carrier capsules and 300‐nm‐diameter subunits, independently stabilized by a diverse range of covalent linkages. This paper presents examples of SHCs with tens of subcompartments and their successful drug loading, as well as selective degradation of the SHC carrier and/or subunits in response to multiple chemical stimuli.