Pluronic block copolymers are recognized pharmaceutical excipients listed in the US and British Pharmacopoeia. They have been used extensively in a variety of pharmaceutical formulations including delivery of low molecular mass drugs and polypeptides. This review describes novel applications of Pluronic block copolymers in gene therapy. In particular, these molecules can modify the biological r...

By using a combinatorial screening method based on the self-consistent field theory (SCFT) for polymers, we have investigated the morphology of H-shaped ABC block copolymers (A2BC2) and compared them with those of the linear ABC block copolymers. By changing the ratios of the volume fractions of two A arms and two C arms, one can obtain block copolymers with different architectures ranging from...

Living anionic polymerization of 4-diphenylphosphino styrene (DPPS) achieved well-defined homopolymers, poly(DPPS-b-S) styrenic block copolymers, and poly(I-b-DPPS) diene-based diblock copolymers with predictable molecular weights and narrow polydispersities. In situ FTIR spectroscopy monitored the anionic polymerization of DPPS and tracked monomer consumption for kinetic analysis. Post-alkylat...

The separation of a mixture of three poly(styrene-block-t-butyl methacrylate) copolymers (PS-b-PtBMA), consisting of polystyrene (PS) blocks of similar length and t-butyl methacrylate (PtBMA) blocks of different lengths, was performed using various chromatographic techniques, that is, a gradient liquid chromatography on reversed-phase (C18 and C8) and normal-phase columns, a liquid chromatograp...

Self-assembly of block-copolymers provides a route to the fabrication of small (size, <50 nm) and dense (pitch, <100 nm) features with an accuracy that approaches even the demanding specifications for nanomanufacturing set by the semiconductor industry. A key requirement for practical applications, however, is a rapid, high-resolution method for patterning block-copolymers with different molecu...

Amphiphilic polypeptide-containing hybrid dual brush block copolymers with controlled molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions were synthesized in one pot via ring-opening metathesis polymerization of sequentially added norbornyl-PEG and N-(2-((trimethylsilyl)amino)ethyl)-5-norbornene-endo-2,3-dicarboximide (M1) followed by ring-opening polymerization of amino acid N-carboxya...

Di-block copolymers composed of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and a second block of (co)polyesters of epsilon-caprolactone (CL) and/or trimethylene carbonate (TMC) were synthesized and characterized. Tin octoate was used as catalyst and polymerization were completed over a period of 24 h with high conversion (> 95%). Self-assembling properties in water were evaluated. All di-block copolymers behave...

Forming nanostructures with controlled size and shape is one of the most challenging tasks in material science. Amphiphilic block copolymers are of special interest because of their ability to self-assemble on the nanoscale. The formation of micelles has potential applications such as in drug delivery, biosensors, and gene therapy. Ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) is a versatile te...