Exploring the Effect of Amphiphilic Polymer Architecture: Synthesis, Characterization, and Self-Assembly of Both Cyclic and Linear Poly(ethylene gylcol)-<i>b</i>-polycaprolactone

Abstract

While amphiphilic block copolymers have demonstrated their utility for a range of practical applications, the behavior of cyclic block copolymers remains largely unexplored due to limited synthetic access. To investigate their micelle formation, biocompatible cyclic amphiphilic poly(ethylene glycol)-polycaprolactone, c-(PEG-PCL), was synthesized by a combination of ring-opening polymerization (ROP) and click chemistry. In addition, exactly analogous linear block copolymers have been prepared as a control sample to elucidate the role of polymer architecture in their self-assembly and acid-catalyzed degradation.