Developments in 1D micelle nanostructures points to new applications in medicine

Self-assembling one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures such as collagen and silk exhibit a wide array of inherent functions in nature. Research in the last few decades has improved the ability to tap into the bottom-up hierarchical process of producing man-made 1D nanostructures based on block copolymers (BCPs), with implications for drug delivery, biomedical scaffolds, and diagnostics. Recent efforts have started to elucidate the intricate molecular interactions leading to how these molecules self-assemble into 1D nanostructures.

He et al. have provided a review of developments in BCPs covering the fundamental aspects in their self-assembly to form fiber-like 1D micelles.

“Our work presents a new perspective focusing on the fundamental driving forces, molecular interactions, and formation mechanisms in the self-assembly of BCPs to form 1D micelles,” said author Junling Guo. “Precision medicine is the future in healthcare and requires higher accuracy in both diagnosis and therapy, which leaves intensive room for 1D micelles.”

Compared with molecular drugs, the large weight of a micelle improves stability in the blood, which reduces renal clearance, avoids interactions with the reticuloendothelial system, and pre vents extravasating at the diseased sites.

The review highlights the formation mechanisms with insights from physical chemistry covering covalent bonding, volume exclusion, and crystallization. Spatiotemporal levels of fiber-like assemblies, emerging applications, and rational design of advanced BCPs using fiber-like micelles are also discussed.

Guo hopes this review can stimulate further interest in precisely controlling the driving forces of BCPs and aims to explore their large-scale functional possibilities, such as theranostic applications and oil displacement in the petroleum industry.

Source: “Driving forces and molecular interactions in the self-assembly of block copolymers to form fiber-like micelles,” by Yunxiang He, Yang Tang, Yifan Zhang, Liam MacFarlane, Jiaojiao Shang, Heping Shi, Qiuping Xie, Hui Zhao, Ian Manners, and Junling Guo, Applied Physics Reviews (2022). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0083099 .