Hydrophobically assembled nanoparticles: Self-assembled nanoparticles

Hydrophobically self-assembled nanoparticles offer unique control over molecular behavior for biomedical engineering applications. Nanoparticle size, charge, and surface modifications heavily influence outcomes in a high-performance material for drug delivery or clinical imaging applications. Four main classes of molecules have seen significant progress in biomedical engineering applications in the past two decades: (1) peptide amphiphiles, (2) nucleic acid constructs, (3) block copolymers, and (4) dendrimers. We will focus on an introduction to the principles behind their hydrophobic self-assembly and highlight key studies demonstrating the advantages conferred by their supramolecular architecture.