New amphiphilic poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)/ poly(L-lactide) triblock copolymers

A new series of cationic, thermo-sensitive, and biodegradable poly(L-lactide)-poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)-poly(L-lactide) (PLLA-PEOz-PLLA) triblock copolymers were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization. With increasing molecular weight and crystallinity of hydrophobic PLLA blocks, the critical micellization concentrations (CMC) occurred at lower concentration. The PLLA-PEOz-PLLA aqueous solution was transparent at room temperature. Heating the solution resulted in precipitations, which were caused by the combination of dehydration of water around PEOz and the aggregations of PLLA segments. Acid/base titration profiles indicated that PLLA-PEOz-PLLA were protonated at neutral and acidic conditions. Considerable buffering capacity was found over the entire pH range. The specific PLLA-PEOz-PLLA triblock copolymers with thermal- and pH-sensitive properties can be tailored by varying the compositions and can be applied as controlled release carries for biomedical applications.