Li Hanping, Jin Yong, Fan Baozhu, Lai Shuangquan, Sun Xiaopeng, Qi Rui
Key Laboratory of Leather Chemistry and Engineering, Sichuan University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu, 610065, China.
National Engineering Laboratory for Clean Technology of Leather Manufacture, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China.
Macromol Rapid Commun. 2017 Mar;38(6). doi: 10.1002/marc.201600646. Epub 2017 Feb 6.
The preparation and aqueous self-assembly of newly Y-shaped amphiphilic block polyurethane (PUG) copolymers are reported here. These amphiphilic copolymers, designed to have two hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) tails and one hydrophobic alkyl tail via a two-step coupling reaction, can self-assemble into giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) (diameter ≥ 1000 nm) with a direct dissolution method in aqueous solution, depending on their Y-shaped structures and initial concentrations. More interesting, the copolymers can self-assemble into various distinct nano-/microstructures, such as spherical micelles, small vesicles, and GUVs, with the increase of their concentrations. The traditional preparation methods of GUVs generally need conventional amphiphilic molecules and additional complicated conditions, such as alternating electrical field, buffer solution, or organic solvent. Therefore, the self-assembly of Y-shaped PUGs with a direct dissolution method in aqueous solution demonstrated in this study supplies a new clue to fabricate GUVs based on the geometric design of amphiphilic polymers.
本文报道了新型Y型两亲性嵌段聚氨酯（PUG）共聚物的制备及其在水中的自组装。这些两亲性共聚物通过两步偶联反应设计而成，具有两条亲水性聚环氧乙烷（PEO）链段和一条疏水性烷基链段。根据其Y型结构和初始浓度，采用直接溶解法可在水溶液中自组装成巨型单层囊泡（GUVs，直径≥1000 nm）。更有趣的是，随着浓度的增加，这些共聚物能自组装成各种不同的纳米/微观结构，如球形胶束、小囊泡和GUVs。传统的GUVs制备方法通常需要常规两亲性分子以及额外的复杂条件，如交变电场、缓冲溶液或有机溶剂。因此，本研究中所展示的Y型PUGs在水溶液中采用直接溶解法进行自组装，基于两亲性聚合物的几何设计为制备GUVs提供了新的思路。
