Open-air preparation of cross-linked CO2-responsive polymer vesicles by enzyme-assisted photoinitiated polymerization-induced self-assembly

Abstract

The large-scale preparation of block copolymer nano-objects with tunable and reversible carbon dioxide (CO₂) responsiveness is a challenging goal in the polymer community. Herein, an open-air strategy via enzyme-assisted photoinitiated polymerization-induced self-assembly (photo-PISA) in water is developed for preparing cross-linked CO₂-responsive vesicles at high solids contents. The CO₂ responsiveness of these vesicles can be controlled by changing the composition of the core-forming block. Finally, inorganic/organic hybrid vesicles are prepared by mixing CO₂-responsive vesicles with silica (SiO₂) nanoparticles, and the amount of SiO₂ nanoparticles can be further increased by treating with CO₂.