Interface Assembly of Polymer Networks on Metal-Organic Frameworks for the Engineering of Functional Nanoparticles

We report a versatile approach for the engineering of functional polymer nanoparticles (NPs) with tunable sizes, stiffness, and responsiveness via templating zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) NPs. This method is applicable to various components ranging from synthetic polymers to biomacromolecules, which are preloaded in ZIF-8 NPs and simultaneously cross-linked during the removal of the templates under mild conditions. Different cross-linking strategies (i.e., thiol-disulfide exchange, click chemistry, amidation reaction, and Schiff base reaction) are feasible for the formation of polymer networks. The advantages of the reported method rely on the simple assembly process, versatility of polymer components, and good control over physicochemical properties of polymer NPs. The versatile assembly strategy together with the tunable functions makes the polymer NPs promising for therapeutic delivery.