biostudies-literatureUnknown57(2)Engel SSoft polymer nanocapsules and microgels, which can adapt their shape and, at the same time, sequester and release molecular payloads in response to an external trigger, are a challenging complement to vesicular structures like polymersomes. In this work, we report the synthesis of such capsules by photo-cross-linking of coumarin-substituted polyglycidyl ethers, which we prepared by Williamson etherification of epichlorohydrin (ECH) repeating units with 7-hydroxycoumarin in copolymers with <i>tert</i>-butyl glycidyl ether (<i>t</i>BGE). To control capsule size, we employed the prepolymers in an o/w miniemulsion, where they formed a gel layer at the interface upon irradiation at 365 nm by [2π + 2π] photodimerization of the coumarin groups. Upon irradiation at 254 nm, the reaction could be reMacromolecules707-718https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC10810002biostudies-literaturePhoto-cross-linked and pH-Switchable Soft Polymer Nanocapsules from Polyglycidyl Ethers.PMC10810002Rose JCSchafer DEngel SJeschenko PMMoller MKeul HHerres-Pawlis Svan Dongen MBruns MfalsePhoto-cross-linked and pH-Switchable Soft Polymer Nanocapsules from Polyglycidyl Ethers.Soft polymer nanocapsules and microgels, which can adapt their shape and, at the same time, sequester and release molecular payloads in response to an external trigger, are a challenging complement to vesicular structures like polymersomes. In this work, we report the synthesis of such capsules by photo-cross-linking of coumarin-substituted polyglycidyl ethers, which we prepared by Williamson etherification of epichlorohydrin (ECH) repeating units with 7-hydroxycoumarin in copolymers with <i>tert</i>-butyl glycidyl ether (<i>t</i>BGE). To control capsule size, we employed the prepolymers in an o/w miniemulsion, where they formed a gel layer at the interface upon irradiation at 365 nm by [2π + 2π] photodimerization of the coumarin groups. Upon irradiation at 254 nm, the reaction could be re2024-01-01T00:00:00Z2024 Jan2025-04-25T23:33:20.925Z2025-04-06T09:23:06.876ZS-EPMC108100023828312310.1021/acs.macromol.3c01698