Synthesis of photodynamic intramolecularly crosslinked polyether-copolymers in-chain functionalized with hexaarylbiimidazoles

Abstract

Polyglycerol (PGL) is a promising material for human body-related applications owing to its hydrophilicity, biocompatibility, and multifunctionality. The multifunctionality of PGL allows for a variety of polymer reactions, thereby constructing network polymers upon intermolecular reactions. However, the design and synthesis of stimuli-responsive crosslinked polymers derived from polyglycerols remains a significant challenge. Here, we succeeded in synthesizing intramolecularly crosslinked network polyether-copolymers (ICNPCs) in-chain functionalized with reversibly photocleavable linkings derived from hexaarylbiimidazoles (HABIs). The developed ICNPCs exhibited fast photoresponses based on the photochemistry of HABI. Owing to its intramolecular crosslinkability and high solubility in typical organic solvents, these ICNPCs aggregated in water to form nanoparticles without causing gelation. The ICNPCs developed here will facilitate their application as biomaterials.