Masclef Jean-Baptiste, Prunet Joëlle, Schmidt Bernhard V K J
School of Chemistry, Joseph Black Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK.
Adv Sci (Weinh). 2024 Jun;11(22):e2310277. doi: 10.1002/advs.202310277. Epub 2024 Mar 23.
Poloxamers are amphiphilic block copolymers consisting of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(propylene glycol) segments. Their self-assembly and interfacial properties are tied to the relative hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity of each block and can therefore be adjusted by changing block lengths. Here, a series of PEG-polycycloether block copolymers is synthesized that have the same structure as a poloxamer, but they encompass a rigid polycyclic backbone as the hydrophobic block. A variety of polymer structures are synthesized, for example diblock or triblock architectures, with/without olefinic units, atactic or isotactic backbone, and different block lengths. Due to their amphiphilicity, self-assembly into spherical aggregates (diameters ranging from 64 to 132 nm) at low concentrations (critical aggregation concentration as low as 0.04 mg mL) is observed in water. Low surface tensions (as low as 26.7 mN m) are observed as well as the formation of stable high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) irrespective of the oil/water ratio. This contrasts with the properties of the commonly used poloxamers P188 or P407 and illustrates the significance of the rigid polycycloether block. These new colloidal properties offer new prospects for applications in emulsion formulations for biomedicine, cosmetics, and the food industry.
泊洛沙姆是由聚乙二醇（PEG）和聚丙二醇链段组成的两亲性嵌段共聚物。它们的自组装和界面性质与每个链段的相对亲水性和疏水性相关，因此可以通过改变链段长度来调节。在此，合成了一系列PEG-聚环醚嵌段共聚物，其结构与泊洛沙姆相同，但它们包含刚性多环主链作为疏水链段。合成了多种聚合物结构，例如二嵌段或三嵌段结构，有无烯烃单元、无规或等规主链以及不同的链段长度。由于它们的两亲性，在水中低浓度（临界聚集浓度低至0.04 mg mL）下可观察到自组装成球形聚集体（直径范围为64至132 nm）。还观察到低表面张力（低至26.7 mN m）以及稳定的高内相乳液（HIPE）的形成，而与油/水比无关。这与常用的泊洛沙姆P188或P407的性质形成对比，并说明了刚性聚环醚链段的重要性。这些新的胶体性质为生物医学、化妆品和食品工业的乳液配方应用提供了新的前景。
