Exploring a Ugi‐Mediated Polymerization‐Induced Self‐Assembly Approach to Peptoid Particles
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.
Authors
- Antoine Debuigne (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7909-7006)
- Clémence Le Cœur (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5072-1066)
- Pierre Stiernet (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3576-5540)
- Maria Cristina Molaro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-0868-2847)
- Thi Phuong Thu Nguyen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3292-9984)
- Federica Sodano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2013-4893)
- Benoît Couturaud (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1192-5354)
- Lei Lei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8441-2044)
- Hao‐Ning Tien
Institutions
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- University of Liège (BE)
- Université Paris-Est Créteil (FR)
- Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (FR)
- Sorbonne Université (FR)
- Laboratoire Léon Brillouin (FR)
- Federico II University Hospital (IT)
- Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris (FR)
- Hubei University of Automotive Technology (CN)
- CEA Paris-Saclay (FR)
- Institut de Chimie et des Matériaux Paris-Est (FR)
- University of Naples Federico II (IT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Macromolecular Rapid Communications
- Published
- 2026-08-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.70389
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Polymer Synthesis and Characterization
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS
- Conseil Régional, Île-de-France
- China Scholarship Council
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique