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Copolymers of di(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (x = MeO2MA) and oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (y = OEGMA) display lower critical solution phenomena in aqueous systems that are tunable by the copolymer ratio (x:y), ionic strength, and temperature. These properties enable tuning the hydrophobicity of macromolecular systems by variation of (x:y). For nanoparticles stabilized with these macromolecules, this provides a systematic approach to understanding the impact of surface chemistry, specifically hydrophobicity, on the equilibrium and transport properties of nanomaterials in biphasic systems. We synthesized a homologous series of gold nanoparticles capped by these copolymers, Au@(MeO2MA(x)-co-OEGMA(y)). By varying the copolymer 95:5 < (x:y) < 80:20 ratio, we studied the effect of surface hydrophobicity on the nanoparticle equilibrium adsorption isotherm and phase transfer at the aqueous-toluene interface. The increase in hydrophobicity from (x:y) = 80:20 to (x:y) = 95:5 is accompanied by an increase in the fractional coverage of the aqueous-toluene interface from f = 0.3 to f > 1, or multilayer adsorption and an increase in the characteristic adsorption timescale from τ(D) = 31 to τ(D) = 450 seconds. The equilibrium partition coefficient for the aqueous/toluene systems, K(T/W) is also a strong function of (x:y), increasing from K(T/W) (80:20) = 0.7 to K(T/W) (95:5) = 9.8. We also observed an increase in cellular uptake for increasing (x:y) suggesting that surface chemistry alone plays a significant role in intercellular transport processes.

Magnetic nanoparticles have emerged as important players in current research in modern medicine since they can be used in medicine for diagnosis and/or therapeutic treatment of diseases. Among many therapeutic applications of iron-based nanoparticles, drug delivery and photothermal therapy are of particular interest. At cellular level their uptake has been studied and the mechanism by which nanoparticles enter into the cell has important implication not only for their fate but also for their impact on the biological systems. We present here a dynamic investigation of interaction of biocompatible iron oxide nanoparticles coated with L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine and labeled with tetra-methylrhodamine-5/6-isothiocyanate with lung epithelial cells. Our data show that after macropinocytosis-mediated internalization, nanoparticles in form of vesicles approach the nucleus and converge in the more acidic compartments of the cells in a microtubule-dependent manner. During progression the nanoparticles aggregate. Finally, we have demonstrated that a converging laser radiation on the cells, causes the increase in the local temperature and thus damages the cells, suggesting that these nanoparticles may be applied for photothermal therapy studies.

The use of magnetic nanoparitilces for biological and biomedical applications such as protein separation, targeted drug delivery, hyperthermia treatment, use as contrast agents of magnetic resonance imaging, biosensing, magnetic fluids environmental remediation is one of the most attractive fields of nanotechnology today because of their unique magnetic properties and the potential to function at cellular and molecular level of biological interactions. To apply them in biological fluids or aqueous environment it is essential to modulate the chemical nature of magnetic nanoparticle surfaces to increase their water solubility and colloidal stability in aqueous medium. By employing different coating technologies they cannot only be rendered longterm stable in biological fluids but also functionalized to fulfill different tasks, like molecular targeting or linking of therapeutic agents. To achieve this goal different polymeric coatings are applied to provide solubility and stability in aqueous solution and additional functional groups for attachment. Taken together the versatile modifications described in this review improved the ability to specifically tailor the features and properties of magnetic nanoparticles for biomedical applications.