Lin, Q., Lim, C. C., Owh, C., Guo, L., Lim, J. Y. C. ., & Loh, X. J. (2024). Hierarchical spontaneous self-assembly of polyethylenimine-poly(propylene glycol) copolymer into cationic polyelectrolyte pH-responsive thermogel. Materials Today Chemistry, 38, 102060. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtchem.2024.102060
Abstract:
Temperature-responsive hydrogels, otherwise known as thermogels, are promising biomaterials which undergo phase change from liquid to a solid-like gel state when warmed. Although poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) is employed extensively as the hydrophilic segment in thermogelling polymer design, recent years has witnessed development of new families of PEG-free thermogelling copolymers which offer new opportunities in expanding material property profiles for new biomedical applications. Herein, we study the supramolecular self-assembly process of PEG-free amphiphilic branched graft copolymer containing polyethylenimine (PEI) and poly (propylene glycol) (PPG), which shows both thermogelling ability and pH-responsive gelation behaviour. Additionally, we demonstrate the ease of post-synthetic modulation of thermogel properties by amine functionalisation on the PEI copolymer segments through convenient nucleophilic substitution and amide formation reactions. The synthetic platform offered by PEI-PPG thermogels allow facile customisation of these versatile materials for targeted biomedical applications.
License type:
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Funding Info:
This research / project is supported by the National Research Foundation, Singapore, and Agency for Science, Technology and Research - IAF-PP - Ocular Biomaterials for Vitreoretinal Therapeutic Applications
Grant Reference no. : H20c6a0033
This research / project is supported by the National Research Foundation, Singapore - National Research Foundation Investigatorship - Thermogels for Therapeutic Applications
Grant Reference no. : NRF-NRFI07-2021-0003
This research is supported by core funding from: SERC (A*STAR Central Research Fund)
Grant Reference no. : SC25/21-808816