Synthesis of Sub-100 nm Glycosylated Nanoparticles via a One Step, Free Radical, and Surfactant Free Emulsion Polymerization.

The facile synthesis of sub-100 nm glyco nanoparticles is presented via a one-step, free radical, and surfactant free emulsion polymerization. It is shown that by using sterically large, hydrophilic glycomonomers such as a lactose acrylamide with the charged azo initiator 4,4'-azobis(4-cyanovaleric acid), growing particles are stabilized enough to reproducibly produce well defined (PDi ≤ 0.1) glycoparticles with diameters below 100 nm.