Tannic Acid-Mediated Aggregate Stabilization of Poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone)-b-poly(oligo (ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) Double Hydrophilic Block Copolymers
1
Max-Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Department of Colloid Chemistry, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
2
Laboratory of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry (IOMC), Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Humboldtstraße 10, 07743 Jena, Germany
3
Jena Center for Soft Matter (JCSM), Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Philosophenweg 7, 07743 Jena, Germany
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Nanomaterials 2019, 9(5), 662; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9050662
Received: 3 April 2019 / Revised: 22 April 2019 / Accepted: 24 April 2019 / Published: 26 April 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanoscale Self-Assembly: Nanopatterning and Metrology)
The self-assembly of block copolymers in aqueous solution is an important field in modern polymer science that has been extended to double hydrophilic block copolymers (DHBC) in recent years. In here, a significant improvement of the self-assembly process of DHBC in aqueous solution by utilizing a linear-brush macromolecular architecture is presented. The improved self-assembly behavior of poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone)-b-poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) (PVP-b-P(OEGMA)) and its concentration dependency is investigated via dynamic light scattering (DLS) (apparent hydrodynamic radii ≈ 100–120 nm). Moreover, the DHBC assemblies can be non-covalently crosslinked with tannic acid via hydrogen bonding, which leads to the formation of small aggregates as well (apparent hydrodynamic radius ≈ 15 nm). Non-covalent crosslinking improves the self-assembly and stabilizes the aggregates upon dilution, reducing the concentration dependency of aggregate self-assembly. Additionally, the non-covalent aggregates can be disassembled in basic media. The presence of aggregates was studied via cryogenic scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM) and DLS before and after non-covalent crosslinking. Furthermore, analytical ultracentrifugation of the formed aggregate structures was performed, clearly showing the existence of polymer assemblies, particularly after non-covalent crosslinking. In summary, we report on the completely hydrophilic self-assembled structures in solution formed from fully biocompatible building entities in water.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Al Nakeeb, N.; Nischang, I.; Schmidt, B.V. Tannic Acid-Mediated Aggregate Stabilization of Poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone)-b-poly(oligo (ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) Double Hydrophilic Block Copolymers. Nanomaterials 2019, 9, 662.
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