Complex coacervate core micelles (C3Ms) are nanostructures formed by mixing aqueous solutions of a polyion-neutral diblock copolymer and an oppositely charged polyelectrolyte.
The charged parts form an electrostatic complex as the micellar core which is stabilized by the neutral segments from the diblock copolymer. Different micelles can be made by changing building polymers. One novel way is using a reversible coordination polymer formed by a bisligand and metal ions as one building block, affording new C3Ms with metal complexes in the core. Investigating these entirely new particles is very interesting from not only the fundamental point of view, but also the applied standpoints due to the various properties from the different metal complexes. Iron and gadolinium containing C3Ms are studied mainly. The aims are introducing magnetic resonance property and developing the potential applications as MRI contrast agent.
Figure 1. Formation of metal containing C3Ms (left) and TEM picture of Fe(III)-C3Ms (right).
Method
The formation and stability of C3Ms are studied using light scattering, from which we obtain the particle size and distribution. The core structure is investigated by cryo-TEM. Magnetic properties of M-C3Ms are studied using NMR relaxivity measurements (NMRD, 17O NMR).
