Nano-hybrid systems are products of interactions between organic and inorganic materials designed planned to develop drug delivery platforms that can be self-assembled. Poloxamine, commercially available as Tetronic®, is formed by blocks copolymers consisting poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) (propylene (PPO) units arranged in a four-armed star shape. Structurally, Tetronics similar Pluronics®, with ...

The conformation and the dilatational properties of three non-ionic triblock PEO-PPO-PEO (where PEO is polyethyleneoxide and PPO is polypropyleneoxide) copolymers of different hydrophobicity and molecular weight were investigated at the water-hexane interface. The interfacial behavior of the copolymers was studied by combining dilatational rheology using the oscillating drop method and ellipsom...

Brusatol (Bru) exhibits promising anticancer effects, with both proliferation inhibition and chemoresistance amelioration activity. However, the poor solubility and insufficient intracellular delivery of Bru greatly restrict its application. Herein, to simultaneously utilize the advantages of Pluronics as drug carriers and tumor microenvironment-responsive drug release profiles, a flexible amph...

Copolymers, particularly Pluronics®, are typically used to sterically stabilise colloidal nanostructured particles composed of a lyotropic liquid crystalline bicontinuous cubic phase (cubosomes). There is a need to design and assess new functionalisable stabilisers for these colloidal drug delivery systems. Six amphiphilic brush copolymers, poly(octadecyl acrylate)-block-poly(polyethylene glyco...

The formation of purely metallic meso-porous metal thin films by partial interface coalescence of self-assembled metal nano-particles across aqueous solutions of Pluronics triblock lyotropic liquid crystals is demonstrated for the first time. Small angle X-ray scattering was used to study the influence of the thin film composition and processing conditions on the ordered structures. The structu...

Stem cell usage provides novel avenues of tissue regeneration and therapeutics across disciplines. Apart from ethical considerations, the selection and amplification of donor stem cells remain a challenge. Various biopolymers with a wide range of properties have been used extensively to deliver biomolecules such as drugs, growth factors and nucleic acids, as well as to provide biomimetic surfac...

The structure of the preformed LC mesophase of water:transition metal salt ([M(H2O)6]X2):acid (HX):oligo(ethylene oxide) (or Pluronics):tetramethylorthosilicate (TMOS) mixture during hydrolysis and partial polymerization of the silica source is maintained upon further polymerization and condensation of the silica species in the solid state. The liquid mixture in early stage of the silica polyme...

c-Alumina-based materials with high porous volume, tunable pore size, were synthesized by the addition of both PEO/PPO/PEO triblock copolymers (Pluronics F127 and P123) and metal nitrates (Al, Mn, Cu) in a boehmite (AlOOH) nanoparticle hydrosol. During the subsequent thermal treatment, the surfactant was removed leaving a highly porous framework. The pore size distribution was strongly dependen...

The MesoDyn method is used to investigate associative structures in aqueous solution of a nonionic triblock copolymer consisting of poly(propylene oxide) capped on both ends with poly(ethylene oxide) chains. The effect of adsorbing (hydrophobic) and nonadsorbing (hydrophilic) solid surfaces in contact with aqueous solutions of the polymer is elucidated. The macromolecules form self-assembled st...

The influence of morphology and surface properties on the therapeutic efficacy of degradable polymeric microparticles has not been well understood. One of the primary reasons for this is the limited ability to fabricate microparticles with controlled morphology and surface properties. Here, we report the electrospraying of blends of Pluronic(®) with poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) as a novel,...