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Nanoparticles made from the self-assembly of Carbohydrate Block Copolymers
Borsali RCurrent knowledge in modern molecular science allows for the preparation of a myriad of tailored
nanomaterials, which play important and multifaceted roles in nanoscience and technology.
Among the bottom-up strategies, self-assembly is an incredibly powerful concept in
macromolecular engineering that offers an invaluable tool for the preparation of 2D and 3D
discrete nanostructures, ranging from materials science to molecular biology, which are often not
accessible by any other fabrication process. Using self-assembly as a synthetic tool, powerful
chemistry and physico-chemistry protocols can be developed that are capable of organizing
organic and inorganic building-blocks into unprecedented structures and patterns, over several
length scales to create novel and innovative materials. In this context and during the last decades,
block copolymers (BCP) systems have received considerable attention as a promising platform for
preparing nanometer-scale structures and materials due to their self-assembling nature into
periodic domains whether in solution (nanoparticles) or solid states. To date, numerous studies
have been focused on the self-assembly of petroleum-based BCPs for potential applications in
multidisciplinary fields, such as nanoparticles for drug delivery, or nano-organized films for
biosensors, or nanolithography, etc. Such materials are derived from fossil resources that are being
rapidly depleted and have negative environmental impacts. In contrast, carbohydrates are
abundant, renewable and constitute a sustainable source of materials. This is currently attracting
much interest in various sectors and their industrial applications at the nanoscale level will have to
expand quickly in response to the transition to a bio-based economy. The self-assembly of
carbohydrate BCP systems at the nanoscale level via the bottom-up approach, has allowed the
conception of nanostructured nanoparticles (micelles, vesicles,…) whose external shell is made
from carbohydrates. We will present recent results on the self-assemblies of carbohydrate-based
block copolymer leading to nanoparticles presenting different shapes (spherical, cubic, …).