Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Bicontinuous nanospheres (BCNs) are self-assembled nanostructures with interconnected aqueous channels that enable the coloading of hydrophilic and hydrophobic cargo; however, their size has been difficult to control. Here, we present a scalable approach to tune the size distribution of poly(ethylene glycol)- b -poly(propylene sulfide) BCNs using a multi-inlet vortex mixer. Higher mixing times and polymer concentrations produced larger BCNs, while shorter mixing times and lower concentrations yielded spherical micelles. Small-angle X-ray scattering and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy confirmed the BCN bicontinuous morphology, which persisted at smaller sizes. The porous BCN structure resulted in increased surface roughness compared to polymersomes (PSs). In vitro, BCNs and PSs of comparable sizes recruited distinct protein coronas early, but their profiles showed convergence by 24 h. In vivo, organ biodistribution was determined primarily by the nanocarrier size rather than the morphology. These findings establish a robust approach to BCN fabrication while revealing dynamic biological interactions that inform nanocarrier design.
Source: Nano Letters
Authors: Sultan Almunif, Simseok A. Yuk, El Hadji Arona Mbaye, Swagat Sharma, Michael D. Purdy, Sandeep Kumar, Natalie R. Klug, Evan A. Scott
Language: English
Subfield: Biomaterials
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, DuPont, Northwestern University, European Commission, National Institutes of Health, Office of Science, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, Harvard University, NIH Office of the Director, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Division of Materials Research, Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems, Biological and Environmental Research, Argonne National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Awards: G1036444414, G1063373159, G107546177, G1164661550, G1168517235, NNCI: Soft Hybrid Nanotechnology Experimental (SHyNE) Resource, G1284175734, G1285306620, G1313983767, G1382277591, G1493146263, G1657822250, G1664757510, G1689194922, A Simultaneous SAXS/WAXS Detector System for Solving Biological Structures, G1697802790, G171842289, G1812349572, G1867732070, G190969021, G1986066541, G2124791380, G2233802770, G2243555408, G2287611682, G2343375527, G23745306, G241279073, G2486305925, G262962599, National Resource for Translational and Developmental Proteomics, G277903665, G2788453484, G2857925935, G3010471893, G3075337988, G3108985476, G3152346458, G317886719, G3203750490, G3227333620, G3262563802, G3388457521, G357145406, G3589692066, G3954585026, G409777406, G4133102837, G4159268500, Northwestern University Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, G4310665315, G4958141111, G498139845, G5091946335, G513797252, G5162417229, G5214689270, G5493493709, G5535608740, G5607048534, G5721286766, G5765906131, G5996226504, G6038498354, G6256534168, World class Science and Innovation with Neutrons in Europe 2020 – SINE2020, G6271517897, G6337283625, G641889115, G6476969910, G6540817556, G6544658276, Acquisition of a Thermo Fisher Scientific Q Exactive UHMR mass spectrometer, G6848031779, G6918803902, Design and characterization of biomimetic nanobiomaterials to elicit CD1-restricted T cell responses during sub-unit vaccination, IMR-MIP DANSE - Distributed Data Analysis for Neutron Scattering Experiments - CNST, G745290618, G7463374569, G777488164, G7863209109, G8380713174, G8385810371, G8461821187, G872144517, G874142868, G8775485830, G9000046704, G9000243610, G9000345326, Center for Biomolecular Structure (CBMS), The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, G969889393, G993121649, G993149817
OpenAlex ID: W4417001597