Superhydrophobic durable coating based on UV‐photoreactive silica nanoparticles

Superhydrophobic surfaces can be obtained by tailoring both the chemistry and roughness topography, mimicking the Lotus leaf characteristics. Most of the synthetic superhydrophobic surfaces reported have been composed of micro and nanoparticles (NPs) embedded in polymer‐based coatings. The particles which tailor the topography are bonded to the base polymers by weak secondary forces. Consequently, the topography integrity is highly affected by handling and surface drag making them unsuitable for long term applications. This work is focused on promoting covalent bonding between the NPs and the base polymer to obtain durable superhydrophobic surfaces. The rough topography was achieved by ultraviolet (UV) curing of SiO₂ NPs containing a photoreactive benzophenone moiety in addition to methylated fumed silica NPs which can bind covalently to the polymer base coating, on UV radiation. The hydrophobic chemistry was obtained by fluoroalkylsilane top coating. Coating durability was evaluated using surface air drag and accelerated weathering conditions (UV radiation, humidity and temperature). Results indicated that the proposed approach resulted in superhydrophobic surfaces having high contact angle (>150°) and low sliding angle (<10°) with improved long term durability. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 41122.     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(fluorinated acrylate)/silica hybrid nanocomposites

The nanocomposite particles (NPs) with inorganic silica as core and fluorinated polymer shell have been in situ synthesized via emulsion polymerization. The chemical composition and core‐shell structure were characterized by Fourier‐transform infrared spectrometry and transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that silica nanoparticles were encapsulated in latex particles, with single‐ and multicore morphologies coexisting. Thermal gravimetric analysis also suggested the successful encapsulation of silica into NPs with enhanced thermal stability. The surface properties of the latex films produced from the core‐shell particles were also investigated by contact angle method and water absorption measurement. Both fluorinated polymer and silica contributed to less water absorption ratio and lower surface‐free energy, which was composed of larger polar component and smaller disperse component, just reversed as usual. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Evaporation of pinned droplets containing polymer – an examination of the important groups controlling final shape

Controlling the final shape resulting from evaporation of pinned droplets containing polymer, is important in the fabrication of P‐OLED displays by inkjet printing. Typically, a coffee ‐ ring shape arises, due to the pinning and associated outward capillary flow. For operational reasons, this is undesirable – a flat topography is required. The aim of this work is to understand the important groups governing the shape, to provide a practical guide to ink selection. The theory presented is based on a thin‐film lubrication model. The governing equations are solved numerically and continuously track the lateral progression of a liquid/gel front. A large capillary number or large ratio of initial to maximal polymer volume fraction can suppress the coffee‐ring. White light interferometry is used to confirm these findings experimentally. © 2015 The Authors AIChE Journal published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 1759–1767, 2015     

Surface‐initiated ring‐opening polymerization of ϵ‐caprolactone from the surface of PP film

This article presents the ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone (ε‐CL) from PP film modified with an initiator layer composed of ? OSn(Oct) groups. This method consists of two steps: (1) Sn(Oct)₂ exchanged with the hydroxyl groups on the surface of PP film, forming the ? OSn(Oct) groups bonded on the surface; (2) surface‐initiated ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐CL with the ? OSn(Oct) groups. The initiator layer is characterized by attenuated total reflectance‐Fourier transform infrared (ATR‐FTIR), contact angles, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The growth of PCL chains from the initiator layer through ring‐opening polymerization is successfully achieved. ATR‐FTIR, XPS, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) are also used to characterize the grafted film. XPS results reveal that the PCL chains cover the surface of PP film after 4 h. The SEM images reveal that the PCL chain clusters grow into regular spheroidal particles, which can be changed into other different morphology by treated with different solvents. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Preparation and in vitro drug‐release behavior of 5‐fluorouracil‐loaded poly(hydroxybutyrate‐co‐hydroxyhexanoate) nanoparticles and microparticles

Poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBHHx) copolymeric microparticles (MPs) and nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by the double‐emulsion solvent‐evaporation technique. 5‐Fluorouracil (5‐Fu), an anticancer drug, was entrapped in PHBHHx NPs and MPs. A variety of parameters, including the species and concentration of different surfactants, power and time of ultrasonication for particle dispersion, and organic/aqueous solution ratio, that affected the production of the 5‐Fu‐loaded PHBHHx NP and MP particles and the release of 5‐Fu were studied. The results show that the prepared NPs and MPs were spherical in shape and about 160 nm and 3 μm in size, respectively, when cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide was used as the emulsifier. The drug‐loading content (DLC) varied from 3.53 to 8.03% for 5‐Fu‐loaded NPs and from 4.83 to 18.87% for 5‐Fu‐loaded MPs and depended on the different initial feeding amounts of 5‐Fu. The encapsulation efficiency decreased with increasing DLC. The in vitro drug‐release characteristics appeared to have two phases with an initial burst effect occurring within the first 8 h; this was more obvious for the particles with low DLCs. The NPs with high DLC (8.03%) had the slowest release rate, 49.6% of 5‐Fu within 24 h. Therefore, PHBHHx copolymeric NPs and MPs can possibly be applied as drug‐delivery carrier materials in the future. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Novel hierarchical Ni/MgO catalyst for highly efficient CO methanation in a fluidized bed reactor

A facile synthesis of the hierarchical Ni/MgO catalyst is reported, with extremely fine dispersion of Ni nanoparticles (NPs) and high surface oxygen mobility. The hierarchical Ni/MgO catalyst exhibits higher activity for CH₄ formation than that prepared by the impregnation method. The enhanced activity and thermal stability of the hierarchical Ni/MgO catalyst is attributed to hierarchical MgO particles with a multilayer structure and high surface oxygen mobility. This induces better metal‐support interactions, high Ni dispersion to prevent Ni NPs sintering, and the high surface oxygen mobility provides a high resistance to carbon deposition. Compared to the impregnated Ni/MgO catalyst, the hierarchical Ni/MgO catalyst exhibits a better fluidization quality and a higher attrition‐resistance in a fluidized‐bed reactor. This approach to improve the catalytic activity by creation of hierarchical Ni/MgO particles is encouraging for the design of novel catalysts for synthetic natural gas production, especially from the perspective of matching catalysts with fluidized‐bed reactors. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 2141–2152, 2017     

Controlling Amyloid‐β Peptide(1–42) Oligomerization and Toxicity by Fluorinated Nanoparticles

The amyloid‐β peptide (Aβ) is a major fibrillar component of neuritic plaques in Alzheimer's disease brains and is related to the pathogenesis of the disease. Soluble oligomers that precede fibril formation have been proposed as the main neurotoxic species that contributes to neurodegeneration and dementia. We hypothesize that oligomerization and cytotoxicity can be repressed by nanoparticles (NPs) that induce conformational changes in Aβ42. We show here that fluorinated and hydrogenated NPs with different abilities to change Aβ42 conformation influence oligomerization as assessed by atomic force microscopy, immunoblot and SDS‐PAGE. Fluorinated NPs, which promote an increase in α‐helical content, exert an antioligomeric effect, whereas hydrogenated analogues do not and lead to aggregation. Cytotoxicity assays confirmed our hypothesis by indicating that the conformational conversion of Aβ42 into an α‐helical‐enriched secondary structure also has antiapoptotic activity, thereby increasing the viability of cells treated with oligomeric species.     

Zein nanoparticle‐embedded electrospun PVA nanofibers as wound dressing for topical delivery of anti‐inflammatory diclofenac

Bioactive wound dressings from poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and zein nanoparticles (NPs) loaded with diclofenac (DLF) were prepared successfully by the single jet electrospinning method. DLF‐loaded zein NPs with an average diameter of ～228 nm were prepared using anti‐solvent precipitation method. The formulation of zein:DLF 1:1 exhibited optimum encapsulation efficiency of 47.80%. The NPs were characterized by dynamic light scattering, zeta‐potential measurement, and differential scanning calorimetry. In vitro, drug release profiles of the DLF‐loaded zein NPs, and PVA–zein NPs were also studied within 120 h and showed the release efficiency of nearly 80% from zein NPs. A more controlled release of DLF was achieved by embedding the zein NPs in the PVA nanofibers. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to analyze possible interactions between different components of the fabricated dressings. The mechanical properties of the developed dressings were also evaluated using uniaxial tensile testing. Young's modulus (E) of the dressings decreased after inclusion of zein NPs within the PVA nanofibers. Moreover, fibroblast culturing experiments proved that the composite dressings supported better cell attachment and proliferation compared to PVA nanofibers, by exhibiting moderate hydrophilicity. The results suggested that the electrospun composite dressing of PVA nanofibers and zein NPs is a promising topical drug‐delivery system and have a great potential for wound healing application. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46643.     

A comparative study of physical properties in Fe3O4 nanoparticles prepared by coprecipitation and citrate methods

Magnetite exhibits unique structural, electronic, and magnetic properties in extreme conditions that are of great research interest. In this work, the effects of preparation technique on X‐ray peak broadening, magnetic and elastic moduli properties of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles prepared by coprecipitation (FcP‐NPs) and citrate (FC‐NPs) methods have been investigated. The structural characterization of the samples is evidence for a cubic structure with Fd‐3m space group. The Williamson‐Hall analysis was used to study crystallite sizes and lattice strain of the samples and also stress and energy density. In addition, the crystallite sizes are compared with the particle sizes and the magnetic core sizes obtained from TEM and VSM methods, respectively. In addition, the cation distribution obtained from calculated inversion parameter indicate that in the smaller particles, more amount of Fe²⁺ on the tetrahedral sites can be related to higher stress induced in the FcP‐NPs compared to the FC‐NPs. The saturation magnetization of the FcP‐NPs is almost two times bigger than the saturation magnetization of the FC‐NPs. It could be attributed to the decrease in the negative interaction on the octahedral site and also the magnetic moment on the tetrahedral site of the FcP‐NPs. The increase in force constants of the FC‐NPs determined by infrared spectra analysis compared to FcP‐NPs suggests the strengthening of their interatomic bonding. The values of shear and longitudinal wave velocities obtained from force constants have been used to determine the values of Young's modulus, rigidity modulus, bulk modulus, and Debye temperature. By comparison of the elastic results of FC‐NPs with the FcP‐NPs, we can observe that the elastic properties of the F‐NPs have been improved by synthesis method, while Poisson's ratio almost remains constant. In addition, using the values of the compliance s_ij obtained from elastic stiffness constants, the values of Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio along the oriented direction [hkl] have been calculated for the samples.     

Preparation and characterization of porous cationic poly[styrene‐co‐(N,N′‐dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate)] nanoparticles and their adsorption of heavy metal ions in water

Using styrene (St) and N,N′‐dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) as raw materials, monodispersed P(St‐co‐DMAEMA) nanoparticles (NPs) were first prepared via semi‐continuous emulsion polymerization, and using a stepwise acid–alkali post‐treatment, porous P(St‐co‐DMAEMA) NPs were then obtained and used to adsorb heavy metal ions in aqueous phase. Results showed that the post‐treatment conditions including temperature, initial pH and time of acid–alkali treatment had significant effects on the morphology of the porous P(St‐co‐DMAEMA) NPs, with higher temperature, more extreme pH condition and longer treatment time resulting in larger pores and volume swelling ratio. Under the optimized acid–alkali post‐treatment conditions (60 °C, acid treatment at pH = 4.0 for 1 h and then alkali treatment at pH = 10.0 for 1 h), the obtained porous NPs had nearly 15 times the surface area and 1.5 times the amount of surface amino groups than the corresponding solid NPs. An analysis of the mechanism of metal ion adsorption on the porous NPs indicated that the adsorbed amount of metal ions was the result of synergistic effect of physical and chemical adsorption, which was closely related to the porous NP surface area, amount of surface of amino groups and the volume of the ions. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry     

Enhancement of dielectric constants of epoxy thermosets via a fine dispersion of barium titanate nanoparticles

In this study, we examined a facile approach for achieving a fine dispersion of barium titanate (BT) nanoparticles (NPs) in epoxy thermosets. First, the surfaces of BT NPs were modified with poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) via a surface‐initiated ring‐opening polymerization approach. We found that the PCL‐grafted BT NPs were easily dispersed in epoxy thermosets. The fine dispersion of the PCL‐grafted BT NPs in the epoxy thermosets was evidenced by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. We found that the organic–inorganic nanocomposites displayed significantly enhanced dielectric constants and low dielectric loss compared to the control epoxy. The nanocomposites containing 14.1 wt % BT NPs possessed dielectric constants as high as at a frequency of 10³ Hz. The dielectric loss was measured to be 0.002 at a frequency of 10³ Hz. The improved dielectric properties are accounted for the fine dispersion of the BT NPs in the epoxy thermosets. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43322.     

Membrane reactor immobilized with palladium‐loaded polymer nanogel for continuous‐flow Suzuki coupling reaction

A catalytic membrane reactor, which was immobilized with palladium‐loaded nanogel particles (NPs), was developed for continuous‐flow Suzuki coupling reaction. Palladium‐loaded membranes were prepared by immobilization of NPs, adsorption of palladium ions, and reduction into palladium(0). The presence of palladium in the membrane was confirmed by the scanning electron microscopy; palladium aggregation was not observed. The catalytic activity of the membrane reactor in continuous‐flow Suzuki coupling reaction was approximately double that of a comparable reactor in which palladium ions were directly adsorbed onto an aminated membrane. This was attributed to the formation of small palladium particles. The reusability in the continuous‐flow system was higher than that in a batch system, and the palladium‐loaded membrane reactor had high long‐term stability. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 582–589, 2015     

Micellization of a di‐block copolymer in ethylene glycol and its utilization for suspension of carbonaceous nanostructures

Suspensions of carbonaceous nanoparticles (NPs) in ethylene glycol (EG) can be used as colloidal inks for additive manufacturing and nano‐fluids for heat‐transfer applications. While micellar solutions of surfactants are often used for suspension of the NPs in water, micellization of surfactants in EG is suppressed as compared to aqueous solutions and a well‐defined critical micellization concentration (CMC) is often not observed. Unlike the surfactants, a di‐block copolymer comprising a poly(ethylene glycol) monomethylether methacrylate (PEGMA) segment, 2‐(diethylaminoethyl) methacrylate (DEAEMA) and butyl methacrylate (BMA), poly(O950)‐b‐(DEAEMA‐co‐BMA) was found to assemble into spherical micelles in EG. Surface tension measurements show a well‐defined CMC that depends on the volume fraction of EG. Cryogenic transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering show the presence of spherical micelles with a diameter that reduces with the volume fraction of EG. The micellar solutions were further used for suspending carbonaceous NPs of different geometry and characteristic dimensions: C₆₀ fullerenes, multi‐walled carbon nanotubes, and nanodiamonds. The flow behavior of the suspensions exhibits a relatively low viscosity and mostly Newtonian behavior due to strong interaction between the NPs and the micelles. These suspensions may be used as colloidal inks for two‐dimensional and three‐dimensional printing. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46518.     

Morphological investigation of synthetic poly(amic acid)/cerium oxide nanostructures

A new kind of intermediate hybrid nanocomposites (NCs) composed of poly(amic acid) (PAA) and surface modified ceria nanoparticles (NP)s had been prepared by sonochemical assisted synthesis. The PAA containing pendent benzamide units had been synthesized by the reaction of 3,5‐diamino‐N‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl) benzamide and benzene‐1,2,4,5‐tetracarboxylic dianhydride through polycondensation reaction. The structure of the prepared PAA was studied by spectroscopic techniques. The surface modifications of ceria NPs were achieved by using hexadecyltrimethoxysilane. Results of FTIR analysis demonstrated that the aliphatic chains have been covalently bonded to the surface of the CeO₂ NPs. PAA/CeO₂ NCs with different contents including 4, 8, and 12 wt% of CeO₂ NPs was prepared by using sonochemical method. Characterization with FTIR, powder X‐ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE‐SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) confirmed the success in synthesis of NCs with well dispersion properties. XRD analysis results showed that the obtained NCs displayed the crystalline nature of ceria NPs and the amorphous character of PAA matrix. The particles size of ceria NPs in NCs are about 50–70 nm as characterized by FE‐SEM, TEM, and AFM analyses. This work demonstrates the application of intermediates as new matrices for preparation of hybrid nanostructures. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:2339–2348, 2015. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Synthesis of pH‐ and temperature‐responsive chitosan‐graft‐poly[2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate] copolymer and gold nanoparticle stabilization by its micelles

Novel pH‐ and temperature‐responsive chitosan‐graft‐poly[2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (chitosan‐g‐PDMAEMA) copolymers were successfully synthesized by homogeneous atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) under mild conditions. Chitosan macroinitiator was prepared by phthaloylation of amino groups of chitosan and subsequent acylation of hydroxyl groups of chitosan with 2‐bromoisobutyryl bromide. The copolymers were obtained by ATRP of 2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate and they can self‐assemble into stable micelles in water. Hybrid micelles with a PDMAEMA corona incorporating gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) were prepared in situ via the reduction of HAuCl₄ with NaBH₄. The pH and temperature responses of the copolymer micelles and hybrid micelles were characterized using UV‐visible spectroscopy and dynamic laser light scattering. The morphology of the micelles was observed using transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The PDMAEMA corona of the micelles acts as the ‘nanoreactor’ and the ‘anchor’ for the in situ formation and stabilization of Au NPs. Therefore, the spatial distribution of Au NPs within the micelles can be tuned by varying the temperature and pH value. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation for homogeneous nucleation of metal nanoparticles during vapor phase synthesis

We present a free‐energy driven kinetic Monte Carlo model to simulate homogeneous nucleation of metal nanoparticles (NPs) from vapor phase. The model accounts for monomer‐cluster condensations, cluster–cluster collisions, and cluster evaporations simultaneously. Specifically, we investigate the homogeneous nucleation of Al NPs starting with different initial background temperatures. Our results indicate good agreement with earlier phenomenological studies using the Gibbs# free energy formulation from Classical Nucleation Theory (CNT). Furthermore, nucleation rates for various clusters are calculated through direct cluster observations. The steady‐state nucleation rate estimated using two different approaches namely, the Yasuoka‐Matsumoto (YM) and mean first passage time (MFPT) methods indicate excellent agreement with each other. Finally, our simulation results depict the expected increase in the entropy of mixing as clusters approach the nucleation barrier, followed by its subsequent drastic loss after the critical cluster formation resulting from first‐order phase transitions. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 18–28, 2018     

Chitosan/MCM‐41 nanocomposites for efficient beryllium separation

Chitosan nanoparticles (Ch NPs) with individual particles 10–30 nm in size and average aggregate sizes of 240 nm were prepared via ionic gelation. Ordered mesoporous Mobil Composition of Matter No. 41 (MCM‐41) with a surface area of 1590 m²/g was prepared via a sol–gel method. The nanocomposites were prepared via the in situ dispersion of MCM‐41 in chitosan followed by ionic gelation with a multivalent anion to produce MCM‐41‐impregnated Ch NPs or via the mixture of dispersed MCM‐41 with preprepared Ch NPs to produce Ch NPs supported on MCM‐41. The beryllium‐uptake efficiency was studied with different pH values, contact times, and initial Be(II) concentrations. The maximum achieved uptake efficiencies of the nanocomposites (95% and 96%) were superior to that of MCM‐41 (38%) and higher than that of Ch NPs (90%). The nanocomposite formulas facilitated post‐treatment separation while maintaining a high beryllium‐uptake efficiency. The Be(II)‐uptake process for all of the materials followed the pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model and both the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46040.     

Concentration effect on aggregation and dissolution behavior of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) in water

The concentration effect on aggregation and dissolution behavior of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) in water was studied. Three concentration regimes with different phase behavior were identified by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Further optical, light‐scattering, and rheological studies indicated that the appearance of different regimes arose from their corresponding solution structures below lower critical solution temperature (LCST): free chains and small clusters in regime I, large clusters in regime II, and a gel‐like network in regime III. Different solution structures below LCST led to different phase‐separated patterns formed above LCST: colloidal particles in regime I, large precipitate in regime II, and the sponge‐like solid in regime III, which was well understood based on the overlapping parameter P. Different phase‐separated patterns therefore resulted in different remixing behavior as observed by DSC. This work suggests that the swelling and collapse behavior of PNIPAM based hydrogels was controlled through the design of their phase‐separated patterns, and therefore provided a way to develop high performance thermo‐sensitive materials. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41669.     

Physico‐Mechanical and Antibacterial Properties of Pine Gum/Epoxy Composites with/without Silver Nanoparticles

Silver nanoparticles/polymer composite (Ag‐NPs/PC) may eventually be biodegradable, sustainable, or burned without production of lethal by‐products and can be utilized as packaging and biomedical device applications. Nanoparticles engaged in pine gum (resin and rosin) are preserved for months without any significant effect on particle size and distribution. This paper focuses on the pine gum/epoxy composites with and without silver nanoparticles fabricated by a hand lay‐up technique. Silver nanoparticles are fixed at 0.37% and pine gum varies from 2 to 24% by weight to acquire the best mechanical and wear properties. The result indicates that Ag‐NPs with pine gum (23.7 wt% resin &13.3 wt% rosin) has the best tensile and impact strength reaching a gain of 51.34% and 53.68% simultaneously. Hardness is noted most extreme 17.92% at Ag‐NPs sample (7.4 wt% resin and 3.7 wt% rosin) and wear resist behavior is best noted with neat pine gum/epoxy composite. The antibacterial assay of the Ag‐NPs is done against Escherichia coli and noted that the zone of inhibition is found to be 1.6 cm as compared to inhibition of 0.4 cm for pine gum reaching an advance of 75%. The various arrangements are enhanced and sited on the basis of TOPSIS technique.     

Quinone propionic acid‐based redox‐triggered polymer nanoparticles for drug delivery: Computational analysis and in vitro evaluation

Redox‐responsive polymers with pendant quinone propionic acid groups as a redox trigger were optimized by computational modeling to prepare efficient redox‐triggered polymer nanoparticles (NPs) for drug delivery. Lipophilicities at complete reduction of redox‐responsive polymers (<5000 Da) constructed with adipic acid and glutaric acid were remarkably reduced to range from ?6.29 to ?0.39 compared with nonreduced state (18.87–32.46), suggesting substantial polymer solubility reversal in water. Based on this hypothesis, redox‐responsive NPs were prepared from the synthesized polymers with paclitaxel as model cancer drug. The average size of paclitaxel‐loaded NPs was 249.8 nm and their reconstitutions were stable over eight weeks. In vitro drug release profiles demonstrated the NPs to release >80% of paclitaxel over 24 h at a simulated redox‐state compared with 26.5 to 41.2% release from the control. Cell viability studies revealed that the polymer was nontoxic and the NPs could release paclitaxel to suppress breast cancer cell growth. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40461.