Polymeric Bowl‐Shaped Nanoparticles: Hollow Structures with a Large Opening on the Surface

Abstract

Polymeric bowl‐shaped nanoparticles (BNPs) are anisotropic hollow structures with large openings on the surface, which have shown advantages such as high specific area and efficient encapsulation, delivery and release of large‐sized cargoes on demand compared to solid nanoparticles or closed hollow structures. Several strategies have been developed to prepare BNPs based on either template or template‐free methods. For instance, despite the widely used self‐assembly strategy, alternative methods including emulsion polymerization, swelling and freeze‐drying of polymeric spheres, and template‐assisted approaches have also been developed. It is attractive but still challenging to fabricate BNPs due to their unique structural features. However, there is still no comprehensive summary of BNPs up to now, which significantly hinders the further development of this field. In this review, the recent progress of BNPs will be highlighted from the perspectives of design strategies, preparation methods, formation mechanisms, and emerging applications. Moreover, the future perspectives of BNPs will also be proposed.

Synthesis of dimpled polymer–silica nanocomposite particles by interfacial swelling-based seeded polymerization

“…Shape is one of the essential properties of colloidal particles, and nonspherical particles can exhibit some interesting and unique functionalities due to their shapes. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] Over the past decade or so, there has been increasing interest in the synthesis of concave polymer particles, [8][9][10] which mainly include dimple/ dimpled particles that typically have one dent on each particle surface (also named bowl-like particles, buckled particles, cavity particles, mushroom cap-shaped particles, red blood cell-like particles, etc. ), [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] as well as more complex golf balllike particles [24][25][26] and surface-wrinkled particles.…”

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] Over the past decade or so, there has been increasing interest in the synthesis of concave polymer particles, [8][9][10] which mainly include dimple/ dimpled particles that typically have one dent on each particle surface (also named bowl-like particles, buckled particles, cavity particles, mushroom cap-shaped particles, red blood cell-like particles, etc. ), [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] as well as more complex golf balllike particles [24][25][26] and surface-wrinkled particles. 27,28 Perhaps, the most prominent characteristic of such concave polymer particles is their larger specific surface areas than their spherical counterparts.…”

Manipulation of Bowl-Shaped Nanoparticles Self-Assembled from a Bipyridine Pendant Containing Homopolymer

“…12 The recent advances of polymeric BNPs have been summarized in our recent review article. 13 There are several methods to prepare BNPs such as swelling and freeze-drying of polymeric beads, 14 emulsion polymerization, 15 self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules, 16 and template-assisted method. 17 Polymer self-assembly is a powerful tool to fabricate and regulate the morphological parameters of BNPs.…”

“…Among them, bowl-shaped nanoparticles (BNPs) have drawn wide attention due to their anisotropic structure and a large opening on the surface, promoting their applications in smart carrier especially for large-sized cargoes, cancer therapy, water remediation, and nanomotors . The recent advances of polymeric BNPs have been summarized in our recent review article . There are several methods to prepare BNPs such as swelling and freeze-drying of polymeric beads, emulsion polymerization, self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules, and template-assisted method .…”

Theranostic Nanocapsules: Heating, Imaging, and Luminescence Nanothermometry

“…On the other hand, it remains challenging to integrate LnNPs and PTT agents based on small organic molecules. − Compared with inorganic nanomaterials, the photothermal features of small organic dyes can be flexibly tuned based on modifying their chemical structures . Perylene diimide (PDI) derivatives, a class of pigments, have been studied as NIR photoacoustic − and PTT , agents due to their exceptional chemical, thermal, and optical stabilities in air and water .…”