Multifunctional Polymeric Platform of Magnetic Ferrite Colloidal Superparticles for Luminescence, Imaging, and Hyperthermia Applications.

Adequately designed multiresponsive water-soluble graft copolymers were used to serve as a multifunctional polymeric platform for the encapsulation and transfer in aqueous media of hydrophobic magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). The backbone of the graft copolymers was composed of hydrophilic sodium methacrylate units, hydrophobic dodecyl methacrylate units, and luminescent quinoline-based units, while either the homopolymer poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) or a poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide-co-N-isopropylacrylamide) copolymer was used as thermosensitive pendent side chains. The polymeric platform forms micellar-type assemblies in aqueous solution, and exhibits pH-responsive luminescent properties and a lower critical solution temperature behavior in water. Depending on the design of the side chains, the cloud point temperatures were determined at 38 and 42 °C, close or slightly above body temperature (37 °C). Above the critical micelle concentration (CMC), both graft copolymers can effectively stabilize in aqueous media as magnetic colloidal superparticles (MSPs), oleylamine-coated MnFe