Polyethylene glycol based oligomers for coating nanoparticles, nanoparticles coated therewith, and related methods

In a composition aspect of the invention, a nanoparticle coating comprises repeating polyacrylic acid monomers covalently bound together in an aliphatic chain having a plurality of carboxylic acid functional groups and modified carboxylic acid functional groups extending therefrom. A first portion of the modified carboxylic acid functional groups are modified by a PEG oligomer having a terminal methoxy functional group and a second portion of the modified carboxylic acid functional groups are modified by a PEG oligomer having at least one terminal sulfur moiety.