Thermosensitive Cellulosic Biohybrid Comb Copolymers by the Passerini-3CR: 2-Fold Functionalization and Subsequent...

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Biomaterials

Background:

• Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is a versatile biomaterial.
• Developing thermosensitive polymers is crucial for advanced applications.
• Controlling polymer behavior in aqueous conditions presents challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize novel thermosensitive biohybrid CMC-based comb copolymers.
• To investigate the thermoinduced sol-gel transition of these copolymers in water.
• To explore the structure-property relationships for tuning thermal response.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Passerini three-component reaction (P-3CR) in aqueous media.
• Functionalized CMC with hydrophobic aldehydes and poly(ethylene oxide-co-propylene oxide) (P(EO-co-PO)) segments.
• Characterized copolymer structures and thermal properties.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized unprecedented CMC-based comb copolymers.
• Demonstrated a thermoinduced sol-gel transition in water due to reversible hydrophobic domain formation.
• Established that the hydrophobicity of grafted aldehydes tunes the thermal response.

Conclusions:

• The P-3CR is an effective method for creating tunable thermosensitive biohybrids.
• These biohybrids exhibit controllable sol-gel transitions for potential biological applications.
• The ability to adjust thermal responsiveness opens avenues for tailored material design.