Poly(2-isopropyl-2-oxazoline)-b-poly(lactide) (PiPOx-b-PLA) Nanoparticles in Water: Interblock van der Waals Attraction Opposes Amphiphilic Phase Separation.

ABSTRACT: Poly(2-isopropyl-2-oxazoline)-b-poly(lactide) (PiPOx-b-PLA) diblock copolymers comprise two miscible blocks: the hydrophilic and thermosensitive PiPOx and the hydrophobic PLA, a biocompatible and biodegradable polyester. They self-assemble in water, forming stable dispersions of nanoparticles with hydrodynamic radii (R _h) ranging from ∼18 to 60 nm, depending on their molar mass, the relative size of the two blocks, and the configuration of the lactide unit. Evidence from ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, light scattering, small-angle neutron scattering, and cryo-transmission electron microscopy indicates that the nanoparticles do not adopt the typical core-shell morphology. Aqueous nanoparticle dispersions heated from 20 to 80 °C were mo

SUBMITTER: Pooch F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6727592 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature