Modification of the Solution Behavior of Pd12 L24 Metal-Organic Nanocages via PEGylation.

The dilute solutions behaviors of Pd12 L24 metal-organic nanocage and its two PEGylated derivatives are explored. The basic nanocages can self-assemble into vesicle-like blackberry structures in polar solvents via counterion-mediated attraction, whereas the PEGylated nanocages always stay as discrete ions under the same conditions, demonstrating that the PEGylation can improve the stability of the single nanocages. In addition, larger nanocages are found to self-assemble in less polar solvents.