These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: Preparation of poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(caprolactone) copolymers and their applications as thermo-sensitive materials.
    Author: Kim MS, Seo KS, Khang G, Cho SH, Lee HB.
    Journal: J Biomed Mater Res A; 2004 Jul 01; 70(1):154-8. PubMed ID: 15174120.
    Abstract:
    The polymerization of epsilon-caprolactone (epsilon-CL) was initiated by the terminal alcohol of methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (MPEG) as an initiator via activated ring-opening polymerization in the presence of HCl. Et2O as a monomer activator. The molecular weights of the poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) in MPEG-PCL diblock copolymers controlled with the feed ratio of epsilon-CL to MPEG. The polymerization was preceded by living fashion with no termination or chain transfer. This polymerization procedure offered MPEG-PCL diblock copolymers with well-defined structures. The gel-to-sol transitions of MPEG-PCL diblock copolymer solutions were also examined. The diblock copolymers synthesized with various MPEG and PCL lengths were dissolved in water at 80 degrees C in various concentrations. The polymer solutions formed gel at room temperature. The formed gel became fluids again by increasing the temperature. The gel-to-sol transition showed strong dependence on the length of the MPEG and PCL diblock segments. When the polymer solution was injected into rat, it became a gel at body temperature. The formed gel maintained for 1 month. We confirmed that MPEG-PCL diblock copolymers with well-defined structures served as new thermo-sensitive biomaterials.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]