Hyperbranched PEG by Random Copolymerization of Ethylene Oxide and Glycidol

Abstract

Abstract The synthesis of hyperbranched poly(ethylene glycol) ( hb PEG) in one step was realized by random copolymerization of ethylene oxide and glycidol, leading to a biocompatible, amorphous material with multiple hydroxyl functionalities. A series of copolymers with moderate polydispersity ( $\overline {M} _{{\rm w}} /\overline {M} _{{\rm n}} $ < 1.8) was obtained with varying glycidol content (3–40 mol‐%) and molecular weights up to 49 800 g mol −1 . The randomly branched structure of the copolymers was confirmed by 1 H and 13 C NMR spectroscopy and thermal analysis (differential scanning calorimetry). MTS assay demonstrated low cell toxicity of the hyperbranched PEG, comparable to the highly established linear PEG. magnified image