Photo-polymerization induced polymersome rupture

Sophie Larnaudie (1, 2) , Ariane Peyret (1, 2) , Louis Beauté (1, 2) , Pierre Nassoy (3) , Sébastien Lecommandoux (1, 2)

1 LCPO - Laboratoire de Chimie des Polymères Organiques
2 Team 3 LCPO : Polymer Self-Assembly & Life Sciences
3 LP2N - Laboratoire Photonique, Numérique et Nanosciences

Poly(butadiene)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (PBut2.5-b-PEO1.3) giant polymersomes were prepared using an emulsion-centrifugation method. The impact of a fast decrease of the osmotic pressure inside the lumen of giant PBut-b-PEO vesicles was studied by confocal microscopy. This osmotic imbalance was created by performing the photo-induced polymerization of acrylamide inside these giant polymersomes, mimicking cell-like confinement. Experimental conditions (irradiation time, relative concentration of monomer and photo-initiator) were optimized to induce the fastest and highest osmotic pressure difference in bulk solution. When confined inside polymersomes with low permeability membrane made of PBut-b-PEO copolymers, this hyper-osmotic shock induced a fast disruption of the membrane and polymersome burst. These findings, complementary to hypo-osmotic shock approaches previously reported, are demonstrating the versatility and relevance of controlling and modulating osmotic pressure imbalance in self-assembled artificial cell systems and protocells.

Domaines: Polymères; Matériaux; Matière Molle [cond-mat.soft]

Sophie Larnaudie, Ariane Peyret, Louis Beauté, Pierre Nassoy, Sébastien Lecommandoux. Photo-polymerization induced polymersome rupture. Langmuir, 2019, 35 (25), pp.8398-8403. ⟨10.1021/acs.langmuir.9b01463⟩. ⟨hal-02151738⟩