The structural evolution and dynamics of silver nanodrops Ag(2869) (4.4 nm in diameter) under rapid cooling conditions have been studied by means of molecular dynamics simulations and electronic density of state calculations. The interaction of silver atoms is modelled by a tight-binding semiempirical interatomic potential proposed by Cleri and Rosato. The pair correlation functions and the pair analysis technique are used to reveal the structural transition in the process of solidification. It is shown that Ag nanoparticles evolve into different nanostructures under different cooling processes. At a cooling rate of 1.5625 × 10(13) K s(-1) the nanoparticles preserve an amorphous-like structure containing a large amount of 1551 and 1541 pairs which correspond to icosahedral symmetry. For a lower cooling rate (1.5625 × 10(12) K s(-1)), the nanoparticles transform into a crystal-like structure consisting mainly of 1421 and 1422 pairs which correspond to the face centred cubic and hexagonal close packed structures, respectively. The variations of the electronic density of states for the differently cooled nanoparticles are small, but in correspondence with the structural changes.

Cancer is one of the most common life-threatening illness and it is the world’s second largest cause of death. Chemotherapeutic anticancer drugs have many disadvantages, which led to the need to develop novel strategies to overcome these shortcomings. Moreover, tumors are heterogenous in nature and there are various biological barriers that assist in treatment reisistance. In this sense, nanotechnology has provided new strategies for delivery of anticancer therapeutics. Recently, delivery platforms for overcoming biological barriers raised by tumor cells and tumor-bearing hosts have been reported. Among them, amphiphilic block copolymers (ABC)-based self-assembled nanocarriers have attracted researchers worldwide owing to their unique properties. In this work, we addressed different biological barriers for effective cancer treatment along with several strategies to overcome them by using ABC‐based self-assembled nanostructures, with special emphasis in those that have the ability to act as responsive nanocarriers to internal or external environmental clues to trigger release of the payload. These nanocarriers have shown promising properties to revolutionize cancer treatment and diagnosis, but there are still challenges for their successful translation to clinical applications.

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