Synthesis and characterization of poly(N-vinylcaprolactam-co-itaconic acid)-based nanoparticles with magnetic properties by precipitation polymerization

Abstract

During the last decades, many strategies have been studied in order to prepare different kinds of polymeric particles with magnetic properties for application in biomedicine. The incorporation of iron oxide nanoparticles in polymer matrices is an interesting task for the preparation of hybrid materials. Magnetic colloids, also known as ferrofluids, are stable dispersions of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) in a suitable solvent, which can be both polar or nonpolar. In general, these colloidal particles need to be stable, have narrow polydispersity in size and to be biocompatible. Depending on the property and the sensitivity to the applied magnetic field of the MNPs, these materials can be used as agents for controlled release of anti-cancer drugs in specific sites of the body. There are different routes for the preparation of hybrid materials consisting of magnetic nanoparticles and polymers, among which the most used are the dispersed media polymerization methods (suspension, precipitation, emulsion, miniemulsion, microemulsion, inverse emulsion or miniemulsion) and the technique involving the use of preformed polymers. This undergraduate research project is devoted to the synthesis and characterization of poly(N-vinylcaprolactam-co-itaconic acid) (poly (NVCL-co-IA))-based nanogels, sensitive to both pH and temperature, and also to the encapsulation of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, using the precipitation polymerization technique. The project will be developed in the Laboratory of Polymers of the Engineering School of Lorena, EEL/USP, under the co-supervision of Prof. Dr. Amilton Martins dos Santos. (AU)