Thermo‐Switchable Materials Prepared Using the OEGMA‐Platform

TLDR

Oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylates can be polymerized via versatile ATRP and RAFT methods. The study reviews two years of progress demonstrating the advantages of OEGMA‑based (co)polymers for creating thermoresponsive materials ranging from biohybrids to drug‑release capsules and antibacterial surfaces. The work shows that OEGMA polymers allow precise tuning of stimuli‑responsive properties, can be readily attached to or grown from diverse materials, and have become a popular platform for designing functional materials.

Abstract

Abstract We describe here the advantages of oligo(ethylene glycol)‐based (co)polymers for preparing thermoresponsive materials as diverse as polymer‐enzyme bio‐hybrids, injectable hydrogels, capsules for drug‐release, modified magnetic particles for in vivo utilization, cell‐culture substrates, antibacterial surfaces, or stationary phases for bioseparation. Oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylates (OEGMAs) can be (co)polymerized using versatile and widely‐applicable methods of polymerization such as atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of reversible addition‐fragmentation chain‐transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Thus, the molecular structure and therefore the stimuli‐responsive properties of these polymers can be precisely controlled. Moreover, these stimuli‐responsive macromolecules can be easily attached to–or directly grown from–organic, inorganic or biological materials. As a consequence, the OEGMA synthetic platform is today a popular option for materials design. The present research news summarizes the progress of the last two years.