Size-selective material adsorption property of polymeric nanoparticles with projection coronas

We prepared irregularly shaped nanoparticles with carboxyl groups on the surface of nanoparticles in a "confetti"-like arrangement by dispersion copolymerization in the presence of the functional macromonomers methacryloyl-endcapped poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA), poly(ethylene glycol) monomethoxymonomethacrylate (PEGm) with styrene (St), and acrylonitrile (AN), in the presence of 2,2'-azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) in a polar solvent. Concanavalin A (Con A) can be immobilized on the surface of these confetti nanoparticles, which showed a higher efficiency of Con A immobilization than the corresponding spherical nanoparticles (PMAA-PEGm-St nanoparticles and PMAA-St nanoparticles). Moreover, these Con A-immobilized confetti nanoparticles were able to capture HIV-1 virions (100 nm), even in the presence of erythrocytes (10 mu m). This size-selective material adsorption property of the confetti nanoparticles is expected to be useful for various separation materials by changing the projection morphologies.