Abstract
Using the electrostatic complex of G4 poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer with an amphiphilic surfactant as a model system, contrast variation small angle neutron scattering (SANS) is implemented to resolve the key structural characteristics of dendrimer-based guest-host system. Quantifications of the radial distributions of the scattering length density and the hydration level within the complex molecule reveal that the surfactant is embedded in the peripheral region of dendrimer and the steric crowding in this region increases the backfolding of the dendritic segments, thereby reducing the hydration level throughout the complex molecule. The insights into the spatial location of the guest molecules as well as the perturbations of dendrimer conformation and hydration level deduced here are crucial for the delicate design of dendrimer-based guest-host system for biomedical applications.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1004-1008 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | ACS Macro Letters |
Volume | 5 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 20 2016 |
Funding
This work is supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) under Grant Nos. MOST 102-2221-E-007-136-MY3 and MOST 105-2221-E-007-137-MY3 and the Neutron Program of the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC) under Grant No. N-2015-2-027.