Interfacial Synthesis of Cellulose-Derived Solvent-Responsive Nanoparticles via Schiff Base Reaction

Abstract

Herein, a facile and easy scale-up method of interfacial covalent assembly was presented to fabricate solvent-responsive nanoparticles (NPs) through Schiff base reaction between dialdehyde cellulose (DAC) and aniline. Due to the presence of highly reactive aldehyde groups, DAC can be easily modified via interfacial Schiff base coupling, giving rise to the formation of DAC-aniline nanoparticles (DANPs). Two techniques were performed to achieve diverse liquid/liquid interface as curved oil droplets-in-water interface and planar oil-water interface for the Schiff base reaction. The average diameters of DANPs formed at planar oil-water interface (96-212 nm) were much smaller than those of DANPs from droplets interface (402-842 nm). The sizes of DANPs can be well controlled by altering the molar ratios of reactants and displayed a time-dependent feature. Moreover, DANPs exhibited solvent-responsive properties and size-switchable swelling behaviors as shown by changing the volume ratios of ethanol to water. Furthermore, Rhodamine B (RhB) as a model molecule was loaded into polymeric network of DANPs-0.5. Owing to the swelling property, the resulting [email protected] nanoparticles exhibited effective release of RhB molecules in response to ethanol. These merits allow DANPs for potential applications in various fields, such as stimuli-responsive functional materials and sensors.