Novel thermo-responsive double-hydrophilic and hydrophobic MPEO-b-PEtOx-b-PCL triblock terpolymers: Synthesis, characterization and self-assembly studies. (24th February 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Petrova, Svetlana; Venturini, Cristina Garcia; Jäger, Alessandro; Jäger, Eliézer; Černoch, Peter; Kereïche, Sami; Kováčik, Lubomír; Raška, Ivan; Štěpánek, Petr
• Is Part Of: Polymer. Volume 59(2015)
• Page Start: 215
• Page End: 225
• Publication Date: 2015-02-24
• Subjects: MPEO-b-PEtOx-b-PCL triblock terpolymers -- Light-scattering -- Thermo-responsive nanoparticles; Polymers -- Periodicals; Polymerization -- Periodicals; Polymères -- Périodiques; Polymérisation -- Périodiques; 547.7
• DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2015.01.009
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0032-3861

Abstract

Abstract: A series of new double-hydrophilic and hydrophobic biocompatible ABC triblock terpolymers with different molecular weights of the PCL block (herein referred to as MPEO44 - b -PEtOx263 - b -PCL87, MPEO44 - b -PEtOx263 - b -PCL175, MPEO44 - b -PEtOx263 - b -PCL262 ) were successfully synthesized by a three-step pathway using a combination of living cationic and anionic ring-opening polymerization (ROP). First, α -methoxy- ω -hydroxy-poly(ethylene oxide) (MPEO) was end-capped with p-toluenesulfonyl chloride. ω -Tosyl-MPEO was used in the second step as a macroinitiator for the ROP of 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline (EtOx) to form the diblock copolymer, MPEO- b -PEtOx. Finally, the prepared diblock copolymer was used as a macroinitiator for the design of the PCL block by ROP of ε -caprolactone (ε-CL). Properties of the newly obtained compounds (macroinitiator, AB diblock and ABC triblock terpolymers) were assessed by 1 H NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy and SEC analysis. The selected MPEO44 - b -PEtOx263 - b -PCL87 triblock terpolymers self-assembled under buffer-simulated physiological conditions into nanoparticles, which were fully characterized by static and dynamic light scattering, nanoparticle tracking analysis and cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). The combination of the scattering methods revealed a temperature-induced aggregation driven by hydrogen bonding with the LCST approximately between 56 and 60 °C. Graphical abstract: