Cutting-edge synthetic strategies and interaction mechanisms in polymeric nanostructures: Bridging preformed polymers with polymerization-induced self-assembly

Recent progress in nanosized drug delivery carrier design has immensely contributed to the development of next-generation smart healthcare facilities, offering enhanced solubility, prolonged circulation time, reduced toxicity to healthy cells and real-time monitoring. Among various materials, polymeric nanocarriers (PNCs) stand out due to the customizable properties of polymer molecules, which can further be tailored to fulfill specific requirements. This review provides a comprehensive evaluation of the different intermolecular interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, π-π stacking, electrostatic interactions, hydrophobic/hydrophilic interactions, and host-guest interactions, that influence the self-assembly processes during PNC design. It also explores a range of fabrication techniques for PNCs, including emulsion-evaporation, nanoprecipitation, dialysis, gelation, salting-out, supercritical fluid technology, coacervation, and molecularly imprinted polymerization. Additionally, the impact of experimental conditions on controlling the size of PNCs is analyzed in detail. The review further evaluates the process of polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) in conjunction with various polymerization methods, highlighting the potential for advanced PNC fabrication. Lastly, it discusses the prospects and challenges associated with PNC design, considering both preformed polymers and PISA methodologies.