Soft nanoparticles

Nayak S, Lyon LA (2005) Soft nanotechnology with soft nanoparticles. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 44(47) 7686-7708... 

Bionanotechnology involves the use of biomolecules to control both the strucmre and properties of nanomaterials. One of the most studied examples is DNA-directed assembly of inorganic nanoparticles such as gold nanoparticles (GNPs). However, systematic smdies on DNA-linked soft nanoparticles, such as liposomes, are still lacking. 

There are many other examples in which a solid-derived colloidal approach is being developed and used—such as nanocapsule formation (Self-Assembly of Polymers into Soft Nanoparticles and Nanocapsules, Soft Mat-ter). These colloidal systems can be considered as being... 

Self-Assembly of Polymers into Soft Nanoparticles and Nanocapsules... 

Fig. 19 Comparison of atomic picoscale particles, hard nanoparticles, and soft nanoparticles. Center image Hard Matter. Reprinted from [155] with permission from Elsevier...

Micelle and microemulsion systems find applications in human activities, spanning from the conservation of cultural heritage [41] to the preparation of a variety of nanocrystalline materials [42], and their possible uses in drug delivery [43], synthesis of nanomaterials, etc. Micelle and IL-based microemulsion systems are prospective to improve many features of their traditional counterparts [44,45], and, in this context, the possibility of modifying both the topology and the morphology of these soft nanoparticles can be of great importance in view of their industrial applications. 

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