Figure 1. Nanoparticle applications of polyethylene glycol.
(A) The use of NPs in imaging involves different modalities, including optical and radionuclide techniques. In therapy, diverse NPs carry a range of payloads, including radiotherapy, nucleic acids and small molecules. (B) PEGylated NP, indicating a firmer metallic or polymeric core (yellow) with a surrounding cloud of flexible PEG chains (red). (C) Monomers of ethylene glycol are polymerized into PEG for NP coating. PEG contains the linkage group (R1) and a terminus that interacts with solvent (R2).
NP: Nanoparticle; PEG: Polyethylene glycol.