One-pot synthesis of inorganic nanoparticle vesicles via surface-initiated polymerization-induced self-assembly

The first case of surface-initiated polymerization-induced self-assembly (SI-PISA) of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) into single-walled vesicles is reported. A solvent-miscible brush was first grafted onto 15 nm silica NPs, and self-assembly was subsequently induced by the polymerization of a second brush that was solvent-immiscible. Self-assembly occurred in situ with the SI-polymerization of the second brush. This approach establishes a method to prepare nanovesicles at relatively high NP concentration, and does not require any post-polymerization processing. Moreover, this strategy provided an opportunity to observe the evolution of nanovesicle formation from well-dispersed NPs, that aided our understanding of how surface-grafted polymers direct the vesicular assembly of NPs.