1 research outputs found
Self-Assembly of Polyurethane Phosphate Ester with Phospholipid-Like Structures: Spherical, Worm-Like Micelles, Vesicles, and Large Compound Vesicles
Here,
we report the preparation and self-assembly of amphiphilic
polyurethane phosphate ester (PUP) polymers with phospholipid-like
structures. The polymers, designed to have a hydrophilic phosphate
head and two amphiphilic PPG-IPDI-MPEG (PU) tails were synthesized
via coupling and phosphorylation reactions in sequence. These amphiphilic
polymers could self-assemble into various interesting nanostructures
in aqueous solution, such as spherical, worm-like micelles, vesicles,
and large compound vesicles, depending on the hydrophobic chain length
of PU tails and the initial polymer concentrations. It was found that
the morphology transition is not only caused by the unique molecular
structure of amphiphilic polyurethanes, but also influenced by the
additional hydrophilic phosphate groups incorporated, which disturb
the force balance governing the aggregation structures. This research
supplies a new clue for the fabrication of well-defined nanostructures