Decisive Influence of Hydrophobic Side Chains of Polyesters on Thermoinduced Gelation of Triblock Copolymer Aqueous Solutions

• Published in: Macromolecules Vol. 54; no. 16; pp. 7421 - 7433
• Main Authors: Wu, Kaiting, Chen, Xiaobin, Gu, Siyi, Cui, Shuquan, Yang, Xiaowei, Yu, Lin, Ding, Jiandong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Chemical Society 24.08.2021
• Subjects: biocompatibility; biodegradability; biphenyl; catalysts; composite polymers; copolymerization; drugs; gelation; hydrogels; hydrophobicity; micelles; phosphates; polyesters; subcutaneous injection; temperature; thermosensitivity

A series of amphiphilic triblock copolymers composed of poly­(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly­(ε-caprolactone-co-5-alkyl δ-lactone)­s bearing distinct alkyl side groups were synthesized via ring-opening copolymerization of ε-caprolactone and a small amount of various 5-alkyl δ-lactones using PEG as...