This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Gracia R, Marradi M, CossÃo U, et al. Synthesis and functionalization of dextran-based single-chain nanoparticles in aqueous media. J Mater Chem B. 2017;5(6):1143-1147, which has been published in final form at doi: 10.1039/C6TB02773C . This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Royal Society of Chemistry Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.