Polymerization-induced self-assembly for the fabrication of polymeric nano-objects with enhanced structural stability by cross-linking

Polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) has been established as a robust strategy to synthesize block copolymer nano-objects with various morphologies, sizes, and surface chemistry, which greatly enlarges the library of functional nano-objects for further applications. The structural stability of nano-objects is an important concern when they are used in drug delivery, nanoreactors, Pickering emulsifiers, etc. Generally, chemical cross-linking via either post-polymerization or in situ cross-linking strategies has been demonstrated to be a viable strategy to improve the structural stability of the nano-objects. In this review, we focus on the PISA-generated nano-objects with enhanced structural stability via either post-polymerization or in situ cross-linking strategies and their applications.