Nanogels synthesized by radiation-induced intramolecular crosslinking of water-soluble polymers

摘要

Nanogels are intramolecularly crosslinked macromolecules of hydrophilic polymers. As such, they constitute a specific topological form of polymers, being a sort of "frozen" polymer coils. When dissolved in aqueous medium, they swell to an equilibrium and thus contain much liquid within their structure, yet maintaining their shape, similarly as their macroscopic analogues - hydrogels. Nanogels can be considered as macromolecular cages capable of binding and transporting various molecules within their structure and/or at their surface. One of the ways of synthesizing nanogels is via intramolecular recombination of radicals that are formed along the chain by action of ionizing radiation. Neither monomers nor initiators are used; the only substrates are linear polymer and water. This work reviews the development of this synthetic method over the last 20 years and also studies towards the potential medical applications of nanogels synthesized by this technique.