Surface water retardation around single-chain polymeric nanoparticles: critical for catalytic function?† †Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Synthetic procedures, CD- and IR spectra, additional information on ODNP and EPR spectra. See DOI: 10.1039/c5sc02319j

A library of water-soluble dynamic single-chain polymeric nanoparticles (SCPN) was prepared using a controlled radical polymerisation technique followed by the introduction of functional groups, including probes at targeted positions.
A library of water-soluble dynamic single-chain polymeric nanoparticles (SCPN) was prepared using a controlled radical polymerisation technique followed by the introduction of functional groups, including probes at targeted positions. The combined tools of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization (ODNP) reveal that these SCPNs have structural and surface hydration properties resembling that of enzymes.