Issue 64, 2020

Supramolecular thermogels from branched PCL-containing polyurethanes

Abstract

Thermogels are temperature-responsive hydrogels which are most commonly formed by supramolecular self-assembly of polymer amphiphiles comprising of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic segments. Although polyurethane thermogels have shown great promise as biomaterials, their synthesis by step-growth polymerisation of diols and diisocyanates can also result in formation of allophanate branches, which arise from the reaction between free isocyanate groups and urethane linkages along the polymer backbone. In this paper, we investigate the effects of different synthetic conditions on the degree of allophanate branching on polyurethane amphiphiles, and explore the influences of these branches on the polymers' critical micelle concentration (CMC), thermodynamics of micellization and subsequent thermogel properties. Our findings offer new insights into the relationship between polymer structure, micelle and gel properties. These results highlight the importance of taking polymer branching into account for understanding the hierarchical self-assembly of polymer amphiphiles and the resulting thermogel properties and behaviour.

Graphical abstract: Supramolecular thermogels from branched PCL-containing polyurethanes

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
29 Aug 2020
Accepted
18 Oct 2020
First published
26 Oct 2020
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

RSC Adv., 2020,10, 39109-39120

Supramolecular thermogels from branched PCL-containing polyurethanes

Q. Lin, J. Y. C. Lim, K. Xue, C. P. T. Chee and X. J. Loh, RSC Adv., 2020, 10, 39109 DOI: 10.1039/D0RA07426H

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