Premium
Rational design of light‐controllable polymer micelles
Author(s) -
Zhao Yue
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the chemical record
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.61
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1528-0691
pISSN - 1527-8999
DOI - 10.1002/tcr.20127
Subject(s) - micelle , azobenzene , rational design , chromophore , amphiphile , nanocarriers , polymer , chemistry , photochemistry , copolymer , materials science , nanotechnology , drug delivery , organic chemistry , aqueous solution
Amphiphilic block copolymer (BCP) micelles are nanocarriers that hold promise for controlled delivery applications. This account highlights our recent works on light‐dissociable BCP micelles. We have designed and developed light‐responsive amphiphilic BCPs whose micellar aggregates (core‐shell micelles and vesicles) can be disrupted by light exposure. The basic strategy is to incorporate a chromophore into the structure of the hydrophobic block, whose photoreaction can result in a conformational or structural change that shifts the hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance toward the destabilization of the micelles. Using various chromophores including azobenzene, pyrene and nitrobenzene, we have achieved both reversible and irreversible dissociation of BCP micelles upon illumination with UV/visible or near infrared light. The demonstrated rational design principle based on light‐changeable or light‐switchable amphiphilicity is general and can be applied to many polymer/chromophore combinations. This opens the door to developing photocontrollable polymer nanocarriers offering control over when and where the release of loaded agents takes place. © 2007 The Japan Chemical Journal Forum and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Chem Rec 7: 286–294; 2007: Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ) DOI 10.1002/tcr.20127