Facile synthesis of metallized nanocontainers for the entrapment and controlled release of hydrophobic compounds

Template assisted synthesis of metallized nanocontainers (MNCs) is reported by in situ synthesis of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) in the bilayer of soft lecithin micelles using aminoantipyrene as a weak reducing agent. The exact bilayer mimicry of MNCs was confirmed by electron microscopic (SEM and TEM) characterization. These MNCs were further coated with thiolated polyethylene glycol (PEG-SH) to improve their stability in aqueous media. The solubility of MNCs in polar and non-polar solvents can be tuned simply by varying their pH values. These MNCs were then used for the entrapment and controlled release of a model hydrophobic compound, pyrene, to demonstrate their potential applications for the controlled release of hydrophobic drugs.

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► Template assisted gold nanocontainers were synthesized in solution.
► UV–vis absorbance scan showed the surface plasmon resonance band at 671 nm.
► Metallized gold containers were completely water dispersible but found to have hydrophobic pockets to accommodate hydrophobic molecules.