| Polyelectrolyte microcapsules have great potential in serving as targeted carriers to deliver their contents when triggered by external stimuli. Aptamers are newly developed antibody-like biosensors. They are synthesized ssDNA or RNA which can bind with a specific target with high affinity and selectivity. In this work, polyelectrolyte microcapsules encapsulating aptamers were obtained by layer-by-layer assembly of oppositely charged polyelectrolyte films on a sacrificial template, CaCO3. Aptamers were captured within the porous CaCO3 particles in a coprecipitation process. Based on systematic trials, Aptamer:PSS-(PDDA/PSS)5 microcapsules were successfully synthesized. These microcapsules would release the encapsulated contents upon the binding of aptamer with target. In addition, aptamer polymer was also obtained and the aptamer polymer rmicrocapsules for triggered delivery will be investigated in future work. The results of this work promise potential applications in smart fertilizers or other fields such as sensing or controlled release drug delivery. |
