Smart Organic−Inorganic Nanohybrids Based on Amphiphilic Block Copolymer Micelles and Functional Silsesquioxane Nanoparticles

Smart organic-inorganic nanohybrids are formed in aqueous solution by the interaction of amphiphilic block copolymer micelles of poly(n-butyl acrylate)-block-poly(acrylic acid) (PnBA(x)-b-PAA(y) with x = 90, 100 and y = 100, 150, 300) and diglycidylaminopropyl-functional silsesquioxane nanoparticles. We investigate the structure of the complex nanohybrids in dependence on pH and salinity. The complexation preserves the original size of the micelles according to dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements. Cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) measurements unveil the formation of organic-inorganic nanohybrids. Furthermore, cryo-TEM micrographs provide evidence for the formation of a core-shell-corona structure of the nanohybrid system. Dialysis experiments with fluorescently labeled silsesquioxane nanoparticles clearly demonstrate the interaction between the micellar system and the silsesquioxane nanoparticles.