Carbon-based cores with polyglycerol shells – the importance of core flexibility for encapsulation of hydrophobic guests

Abstract

Two core–shell nanoparticles with polyglycerol shells and sp³ carbon cores with different flexibilities (soft dendritic polyethylene and hard nanodiamond) were synthesized, their encapsulation capacities were compared, and their ability to transport into tumor cells was investigated. The nanocarrier with a soft core was superior to the hard one.