ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Factors influencing aggregation behavior of poly(γ-benzyl l-glutamate)-graft-poly(ethylene glycol) copolymer in mixed solvents

Guo-Quan Zhu, Fa-Gang Wang, Yu-Ying Liu, and Qiao-Chun Gao

School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, 255049 China

E-mail: guoquanzhu888@163.com

Abstract: Poly(γ-benzyl l-glutamate)-graft-poly(ethylene glycol) (PBLG-graft-PEG) copolymer was synthesized by the ester exchange reaction of PBLG homopolymer with mPEG. Aggregation behavior of the PBLG-graft-PEG copolymer in mixtures of ethanol and chloroform was investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and viscometry. Effects of the polymer solution concentration, grafting degree, test temperature, and chloroform content on the morphology, average particle diameter, and critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the micelles formed by the PBLG-graft-PEG copolymer in the mixed solvents were mainly studied. It was revealed that the PBLG-graft-PEG copolymer can self-assemble into polymeric micelles with a core-shell structure in various shapes depending on the preparation conditions.

Keywords: aggregation behavior - polypeptide copolymer - mixed solvents - critical micelle concentration - morphology

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.2478/s11696-010-0046-2

Chemical Papers 64 (5) 657–662 (2010)