Synthesis of Y-shaped poly(solketal acrylate)-containing block copolymers and study on the thermoresponsive behavior for micellar aggregates

One novel type of Y-shaped amphiphilic copolymers with two hydrophobic poly(solketal acrylate) (PSA) branches and one hydrophilic monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (MPEG) block was synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). These Y-shaped polymers can disperse in aqueous media to self-assemble into micellar aggregates with a spherical core-shell structure. The aqueous copolymer solutions exhibited transmittancy transition in the temperature range of 30-60 °C via optical transmittance measurements. An interesting thermo-dependent size of the micellar aggregates was observed by dynamic light scattering techniques and transmission electron microscopy, which showed that the micelle diameters were decreased with temperature increasing. The nile red release from the micelles at 25 °C and 37 °C under various pHs showed that temperature has great influence on release behavior. With good biocompatibility, the micellar aggregates formed from MPEG-block-(PSA)(2) may serve as one promising thermosensitive nanovehicle for targeted drug delivery.