Work

Hydrolytic Degradation of Poly(ethylene oxide)-block-Polycaprolactone Worm Micelles

Year: 2005

Type: article

Abstract: Spherical micelles and nanoparticles made with degradable polymers have been of great interest for therapeutic application, but degradation-induced changes in a spherical morphology can be subtle and mechanism/kinetics appears poorly understood. Here, we report the first preparation of giant and flexible worm micelles self-assembled from degradable copolymer poly(ethylene oxide)-block-polycaprolactone. Such worm micelles spontaneously shorten to generate spherical micelles, triggered by polycaprolactone hydrolysis, with distinct mechanism and kinetics from that which occurs in bulk material.

Source: Journal of the American Chemical Society

DOI: 10.1021/ja053902e

Authors: Yan Geng, Dennis E. Discher

Institution: University of Pennsylvania

Language: English

Topic: Advanced Polymer Synthesis and Characterization

Subfield: Organic Chemistry

Field: Chemistry

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering

Awards: G1466191029, G3458893715, G6924763132