Novel Efficient Synthesis of Branched Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) having Aldehyde Functionalised Side Chains

摘要

In recent years branched systems based on poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) have attracted much attention due to their potential for application in biomedical and pharmaceutical areas. PEO is an excellent candidate due to its properties such as its chemical stability, water solubility, non-toxicity, and resistance to recognition by the immune system. These properties, combined with the availability of PEOs with a wide range of end-functions, contribute to the extensive use of PEOs in biomedical research, including but not limited, to drug delivery, tissue engineering scaffolds and many other applications. Methodologies for synthesizing branched PEOs are limited and each of them has its merits and drawbacks. PEO stars can be obtained either by linking a given number of linear chains to a central core following an arm-first method or by growing branches from a multifunctional initiator via a core-first approach. Alternatively, it is possible to homopolymerize or copolymerize PEO-based macromonomers to yield linear branched polymers.