Synthesis of Nanoparticles

This chapter provides a survey of the various approaches that have been taken toward the preparation of polymeric nanoparticles from ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). The assembly of amphiphilic block copolymers to generate discrete nanoscale structures is primarily driven by the hydrophobic effect, with micelle size and shape governed by a set of basic principles rooted in surfactant phase-separation behavior. Along with the hydrophobic effect, micelle formation is further guided by the volume ratio of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic polymer domains. Access to these various phases is possible via a number of synthetic ROMP-based approaches. These approaches are divided into three distinct classes and involve grafting-through, grafting-to, or grafting-from ROMP polymer backbones to achieve the amphiphilicity necessary to guide nanoparticle formation. The grafting-from method involves the use of an orthogonal polymerization technique to either polymerize from a ROMP copolymer backbone or to provide a polymer scaffold capable of initiating ROMP.