Ge, Jin | Engineering Papers

DOE OSTI2024

A magnetic‐directed micro‐particle with near‐ IR light triggered guest‐release property

Abstract In this study, guest carriers, composed of magnetic‐directed hydrogel particles with near‐infrared (NIR)‐light‐triggered guest‐release properties, are prepared via the one‐pot method. The gel particles contain photostable NIR‐responsive polypyrrole nanoparticles with temperature‐sensitive poly(N‐isopropyl acrylamide), the combination of which can induce the accelerated release of encapsulated drugs by 337% upon 5 minutes of NIR light irradiation based on the release profile of NRMG‐1 at 10–15 min. Additionally, with magnetic iron oxide particles crosslinking the polyvinyl alcohol frames, these gel particles can form a physical barrier that decreases the release rate by 20% under an external magnetic field over 24 h. The magnetic iron oxide particles also enable the gel particles to reach their target destination without extra drug losses.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2024

3D Temperature-Controlled Interchangeable Pattern for Size-Selective Nanoparticle Capture

Patterned surfaces with distinct regularity and structured arrangements have attracted great interest due to their extensive promising applications. Although colloidal patterning has conventionally been used to create such surfaces, herein, we introduce a novel 3D patterned poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) surface, synthesized by using a combination of colloidal templating and surface-initiated photoinduced electron transfer-reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (SI-PET-RAFT) polymerization. In order to investigate the temperature-driven 3D morphological variations at a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of ~32 °C, multifaceted characterization techniques were employed. Atomic force microscopy confirmed the morphological transformations at 20 and 40 °C, while water contact angle measurements, upon heating, revealed distinct trends, offering insights into the correlation between surface wettability and topography adaptations. Moreover, quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring and electrochemical measurements were employed to detect the topographical adjustments of the unique hollow capsule structure within the LCST. Tests using different sizes of PSNPs shed light on the size-selective capture–release potential of the patterned PNIPAM, accentuating its biomimetic open–close behavior. Notably, our approach negates the necessity for expensive proteins, harnessing temperature adjustments to facilitate the noninvasive and efficient reversible capture and release of nanostructures. Finally, this advancement hopes to pave the way for future innovative cellular analysis platforms.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗