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. 2019 Jan 6;11(1):77.
doi: 10.3390/polym11010077.

Chemical Synthesis and Characterization of Poly(poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate)-Grafted CdTe Nanocrystals via RAFT Polymerization for Covalent Immobilization of Adenosine

Trinh Duy Nguyen  1   2 , Hieu Vu-Quang  3 , Thanh Sang Vo  4 , Duy Chinh Nguyen  5   6 , Dai-Viet N Vo  7 , Dai Hai Nguyen  8   9 , Kwon Taek Lim  10 , Dai Lam Tran  11   12 , Long Giang Bach  13   14
Affiliations

Chemical Synthesis and Characterization of Poly(poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate)-Grafted CdTe Nanocrystals via RAFT Polymerization for Covalent Immobilization of Adenosine

Trinh Duy Nguyen et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

This paper describes the functionalization of poly(poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate) (PPEGMA)-grafted CdTe (PPEGMA-g-CdTe) quantum dots (QDs) via surface-initiated reversible addition⁻fragmentation chain transfer (SI-RAFT) polymerization for immobilization of adenosine. Initially, the hydroxyl-coated CdTe QDs, synthesized using 2-mercaptoethanol (ME) as a capping agent, were coupled with a RAFT agent, S-benzyl S'-trimethoxysilylpropyltrithiocarbonate (BTPT), through a condensation reaction. Then, 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) was used to successfully initiate in situ RAFT polymerization to generate PPEGMA-g-CdTe nanocomposites. Adenosine-above-PPEGMA-grafted CdTe (Ado-i-PPEGMA-g-CdTe) hybrids were formed by the polymer shell, which had successfully undergone bioconjugation and postfunctionalization by adenosine (as a nucleoside). Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrophotometry, energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and transmission electron microscopy results indicated that a robust covalent bond was created between the organic PPEGMA part, cadmium telluride (CdTe) QDs, and the adenosine conjugate. The optical properties of the PPEGMA-g-CdTe and Ado-i-PPEGMA-g-CdTe hybrids were investigated by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and the results suggest that they have a great potential for application as optimal materials in biomedicine.

Keywords: CdTe quantum dots; SI-RAFT; adenosine; covalent immobilization; poly(poly(ethylene glycol methacrylate).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Scheme 1
Scheme 1
Route for the synthesis of poly(poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate) (PPEGMA)-coated CdTe quantum dots (QDs) via reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and subsequent conjugation of adenosine.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra of (A) CdTe-OH, (B) CdTe- S-benzyl S′-trimethoxysilylpropyltrithiocarbonate (BTPT), and (C) PPEGMA-grafted CdTe (PPEGMA-g-CdTe).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectra of (A) CdTe-OH and (B) CdTe-BTPT. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra of wide-scan of (C) CdTe-OH, and (D) CdTe-BTPT.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) scans of (A) CdTe-OH, (B) CdTe-BTPT, and (C) PPEGMA-g-CdTe.
Figure 4
Figure 4
FT-IR spectra of (A) DSC-f-PPEGMA-g-CdTe, (B) Adenosine-above-PPEGMA-grafted CdTe (Ado-i-PPEGMA-g-CdTe) hybrids.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Wide scans and N1s core-level spectra of (A,B) PPEGMA-g-CdTe, (C,D) DSC-f-PPEGMA-g-CdTe, and (E,F) Ado-i-PPEGMA-g-CdTe nanohybrids, respectively.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Photoluminescence (PL) spectra (excited at 380 nm) of (A) CdTe-OH QDs, (B) PPEGMA-g-CdTe, and (C) Ado-i-PPEGMA-g-CdTe nanohybrids.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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