Efficient Synthesis of Polymeric Fluorinated Nanoparticles with High Fluorine Content via Aqueous Photo-Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly for 19F MRI Application.

Polymeric fluorinated nanoparticles (PFNPs) are useful materials in many applications, especially in the field of 19F magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Despite the development of numerous PFNPs with diverse chemical compositions and structures, those with high fluorine content and capable of highly sensitive 19F MRI remain scarce. Here we report an elegantly designed aqueous photo-polymerization-induced self-assembly (photo-PISA) system for the synthesis of PFNPs with high fluorine content for effective 19F MRI applications. This innovative photo-PISA system is enabled by two analogous fluorinated monomers, allowing efficient production of PFNPs with different morphologies and high fluorine content (25 wt %) in aqueous solution. These PFNPs exhibit favorable 19F MRI properties and morphology-dependent biological behavior, and have potential as advanced polymeric nanomaterials for imaging and drug delivery applications.