The structure of thin casein films prepared with spin-coating is investigated as a function of the calcium concentration. Grazing incidence small-angle x-ray scattering and atomic force microscopy are used to probe the micelle structure. For comparison, the corresponding casein solutions are investigated with dynamic light-scattering experiments. In the thin films with added calcium three types...

Hierarchically assembled amphiphilic diblock copolymer micelles were exquisitely crafted over large areas by capitalizing on two concurrent self-assembling processes at different length scales, namely, the periodic threads composed of a monolayer or a bilayer of diblock copolymer micelles precisely positioned by flow-enabled self-assembly (FESA) on the microscopic scale and the self-assembly of...

Polymeric micelles with core-shell-corona nanoarchitecture were designed for intracellular therapeutic anti-cancer drug carriers. Poly(styrene-b-acrylic acid-b-ethylene glycol) (PS-b-PAA-b-PEG) asymmetric triblock copolymer underwent self-assembly in aqueous solution to form spherical micelles with hydrophobic PS core, anionic PAA shell and hydrophilic PEG corona. The anti-cancer drug (doxorubi...

In the present study, poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(ε-caprolactone) micelles loaded with etoposide (ETO) were formulated and further conjugated with pentapeptide Glu-Ile-Leu-Asp-Val (EILDV) to target α4β1 integrin receptor overexpressed on metastatic tumor cell. Using a distinct ratio of carboxyl-terminated poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(ε-caprolactone) (HOOC-PEG-b-PCL) to methoxy-poly(ethylen...

Soft lithography based on photocurable perfluoropolyether (PFPE) was used to mold and replicate poly(styrene-b-isoprene) block-copolymer micelles within a broad range of shapes and sizes including spheres, cylinders, and torroids. These physically assembled nanoparticles were first formed in a selective solvent for one block then deposited onto substrates having various surface energies in an e...

Here, we developed Pluronic® P123/F127 (poloxamer) mixed micelles for the intravenous delivery of the anticancer drug sorafenib (SRB) or its combination with verteporfin (VP), a photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy that should complement well the cytotoxicity profile of the chemotherapeutic. SRB loading inside the core of micelles was governed by the drug:poloxamer weight ratio, while in th...

We report an extensive simulation study on the spontaneous formation of complex micelles from coilrod-coil amphiphilic triblock copolymers in dilute solution resulting from solvent selectivity. The amphiphilic molecule is built from one hydrophilic block on each side and a hydrophobic block in the middle. The rigidity of the rod block is introduced by adding a bond-bending potential of the angl...

Oleanolic acid (OA) is a triterpenoid found in various fruits and vegetables and used in traditional Chinese medicine. OA plays a crucial role in the treatment of several cancers, but poor water solubility, low permeability, and significant efflux have limited its widespread clinical use. Vitamin E-d-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate (vitamin E-TPGS) and Pluronic P105 were used to impr...

Polymeric Micelles In article 2201836 by Urara Hasegawa and co-workers, polymeric micelles containing H2S-donating anethole dithiolone (ADT) groups release H2S in response to oxidation reactive oxygen species (ROS). By changing polymer design, profiles can be fine-tuned suppress cancer cell proliferation human colon vitro assays, as well a chick chorioallantois membrane model.

Cationic gemini surfactant dimethylene-1,2-bis(dodecyldiethylammonium bromide), referred to as C12C2C12(Et) was synthesized, and its surface property and aggregation behavior in aqueous solution were studied. The value of γ at the critical micelle concentration (γcmc) is much smaller than that of the surfactant homologues with longer spacer. Spherical and elongated micelles were formed in the a...