Exploring a Ugi‐mediated polymerization‐induced self‐assembly approach to peptoid particles

[en] This work investigates the synthesis of polypeptoid nanoparticles through Ugi-mediated polymerization-induced self-assembly (U-PISA), combining aqueous Ugi four-component polycondensation with PEG-based stabilization. Polypeptoid nano-objects were produced directly from amino acid-derived building blocks via a one-pot process under mild, open-air conditions. The effects of PEG molar mass and feed composition on particle formation and morphology were systematically examined, providing access to tunable spherical and worm-like nanostructures. The in situ formation of amphiphilic PEG-polypeptoid species suggests that nanoparticle formation proceeds through a PISA-like mechanism. However, the step-growth nature of the Ugi polycondensation implies that both PEG-functionalized and unconjugated polypeptoid chains may participate in nanoparticle assembly and stabilization. These results demonstrate that multicomponent polymerizations, such as Ugi polymerization, can be integrated into a PISA strategy, offering a simple route to polypeptoid nanoparticles with tunable morphologies and potential biomedical applications.

Research Center/Unit :

CESAM - Complex and Entangled Systems from Atoms to Materials - ULiège [BE]
CERM - Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules - ULiège [BE]

Disciplines :

Materials science & engineering
Chemistry

Author, co-author :

Nguyen, Thi Phuong Thu ; Univeristy of Paris Est Créteil -CNRS - Institut de Chimie et des Matériaux de Paris Est [ICMPE] - France ; Sorbonne - Laboratoire De Chimie de La Matière Condensée - Paris - France

Molaro, Maria Cristina ; Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy

Tien, Hao-Ning; Univeristy of Paris Est Créteil -CNRS - Institut de Chimie et des Matériaux de Paris Est [ICMPE] - France

Lei, Lei ; Univeristy of Paris Est Créteil -CNRS - Institut de Chimie et des Matériaux de Paris Est [ICMPE] - France ; Hubei University of Automotive Technology - School of Automotive Materials - Shiyan - China

Stiernet, Pierre ; University of Liège [ULiège] - Complex and Entangled Systems from Atoms to Materials [CESAM] Research Unit - Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules [CERM] - Belgium

Le Coeur, Clemence ; Univeristy of Paris Est Créteil -CNRS - Institut de Chimie et des Matériaux de Paris Est [ICMPE] - France ; Université Paris-Saclay - Laboratoire Léon Brillouin - CEA Sacla - Gif-sur-Yvette - France

Sodano, Federica ; Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy

Debuigne, Antoine ; University of Liège [ULiège] - Complex and Entangled Systems from Atoms to Materials [CESAM] Research Unit - Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules [CERM] - Belgium

Couturaud, Benoit ; Univeristy of Paris Est Créteil -CNRS - Institut de Chimie et des Matériaux de Paris Est [ICMPE] - France

Language :

English

Title :

Exploring a Ugi‐mediated polymerization‐induced self‐assembly approach to peptoid particles

Publication date :

In press

Journal title :

Macromolecular Rapid Communications

ISSN :

1022-1336

eISSN :

1521-3927

Publisher :

Wiley, Germany

Pages :

e70389

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Funders :

F.R.S.-FNRS - Fund for Scientific Research

Funding text :

This work was supported by financial funding from CNRS INC Emer- gence. We also acknowledge the support of the CAP and MIC ICMPE platforms, DIM MaTerRe, and the Île-de-France region. China Scholar- ship Council (CSC, project 202208420008) is thanked for funding a PhD scholarship for the first author, L. LEI. A.D. thanks the F.R.S.-FNRS. Sylvain Prévost is gratefully acknowledged for his assistance during the SANS experiment at the ILL

Available on ORBi :

since 02 September 2026

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