pH-responsive polymeric micelles with tunable aggregation-induced emission and controllable drug release

Stimuli-responsive polymeric micelles as a drug delivery vehicle have made important contributions to the development of controllable drug release. Here we develop pH-responsive polymeric micelles with tunable aggregation-induced emission and controllable drug release. Polymeric micelles in nano-sized spherical shape (about 140 nm) were mediated via hydrogen-bonding interaction between phenol groups of 4,4′-(1,2-diphenylethene-1,2-diyl)diphenol (TPE-2OH) and amine groups of poly(ethylene glycol)-block-linear polyethylenimine-block-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PEG-PEI-PCL). The results show that polymeric micelles are pH-responsive with turn-on fluorescence and sustained drug release inside cells, which has hope in simultaneously achieving cell imaging and cancer therapy.