Nanocrystalline cellulose/β-casein conjugated nanoparticles prepared by click chemistry

Functionalized nanoparticles are promising building blocks for well-defined nanomaterials with unique properties. Site-specific or regio-selective functionalization of those nanoparticles and organization into high-order assemblies is a major challenge in materials research. Here, we demonstrate site-specific immobilization of a model protein at one tip of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC), single-crystalline rod-like shaped nanoparticles that are isolated by acid hydrolysis of bulk cellulose. Click reaction between reducing end functionalized NCC bearing azide groups and β-casein micelles bearing acetylene groups results in mushroom-like conjugated nanoparticles in different arrangements. The strategy developed here to design hybrid polysaccharide–protein nanoparticles could be useful for building novel functional self-assembled nanobiomaterials and have potential in nanomedicine, immunoassay and drug delivery applications.