Synthesis and micellar characterization of novel pH-sensitive thiol-ended triblock copolymer via combination of RAFT and ROP processes

ABSTRACT

A new pH- sensitive thiol-ended amphiphilic triblock copolymer was synthesized by reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer polymerization. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) value for the synthesized PAA-b-PDMAEMAQ-b-PCL-SH triblock copolymer was determined to be 0.0079 g L-1 using fluorescence probe technique. The average sizes of PAA-b-PDMAEMAQ-b-PCL-SH micelles was obtained to be 30 ± 5 nm using TEM observation. It is expected that the synthesized PAA-b-PDMAEMAQ-b-PCL-SH triblock copolymer considered as a prospective candidate in nanomedicine applications such as chemo-photothermal therapy and drug delivery, mainly due to the strong affinity of thiol-ended group toward gold nanoparticle and its excellent micellization behavior.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• de novo drug delivery
• pH-responsive
• raft polymerization
• self-assembly
• triblock copolymer

Additional information

Funding

The author expresses their gratitude to the “Iran National Science Foundation” (INSF) (grant No. INSF 90007920) and Tabriz Payame Noor University and Islamic Azad University (Miyaneh Branch) for supporting of this project.