Versatile phospholipid-like surfactants for water dispersible nanoparticles.

Abstract

Versatile phospholipid-like surfactants, composed of phosphate center, hydrophobic alkyl group, and hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) group, were synthesized for water-dispersible nanoparticles. They can disperse a range of nanoparticles of semiconductors, metals, and metal oxides in aqueous solutions by simply mixing the

hydrophobic nanoparticles and surfactant at room temperature. The precursors and synthetic process are economical and useful for large-scale production. The cytotoxicity was examined on T98G cancer cells, which showed no appreciable toxicity in the cells.