DPD Study on the Interfacial Properties of PEO/PEO-PPO-PEO/PPO Ternary Blends: Effects of Pluronic Structure and Concentration

Abstract

Using the method of dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations, we investigated the interfacial properties of PEO/PEO-PPO-PEO/PPO ternary blends composed of the Pluronics L64(EO13PO30EO13), F68(EO76PO29EO76), F88(EO104PO39EO104), or F127(EO106PO70EO106) triblock copolymers. Our simulations show that: (i) The interfacial tensions (γ) of the ternary blends obey the relationship γF68 < γL64 < γF88 < γF127, which indicates that triblock copolymer F68 is most effective in reducing the interfacial tension, compared to L64, F88, and F127; (ii) For the blends of PEO/L64/PPO and the F64 copolymer concentration ranging from ccp = 0.2 to 0.4, the interface exhibits a saturation state, which results in the aggregation and micelle formation of F64 copolymers added to the blends, and a lowered efficiency of the L64 copolymers as a compatibilizer, thus, the interfacial tension decreases slightly; (iii) For the blends of PEO/F68/PPO, elevating the Pluronic copolymer concentration can promote Pluronic copolymer enrichment at the interfaces without forming the micelles, which reduces the interfacial tension significantly. The interfacial properties of the blends contained the PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymer compatibilizers are, thus, controlled by the triblock copolymer structure and the concentration. This work provides important insights into the use of the PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymer as compatibilizers in the PEO and PPO homopolymer blend systems.

Investigation of morphology and structure of drug‐loaded PLA‐b‐PEO‐b‐PLA polymeric micelle: A dissipative particle dynamics simulations study

“…Our model is constructed based on both our previous work and relevant studies in the field. [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42] The obtained outcomes hold significant implications for comprehending the PLA-b-PEO-b-PLA drugloaded system, thereby providing valuable insights for the design and formulation of optimized polymeric micelles with enhanced drugloading capabilities.…”

“…In this study, we investigate the influence of the PLA block length, the PLA‐ b ‐PEO‐ b ‐PLA copolymer concentration, and the paclitaxel drug content on the morphologies and structures of paclitaxel‐loaded PLA‐ b ‐PEO‐ b ‐PLA micelles using dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations. Our model is constructed based on both our previous work and relevant studies in the field 24–42 . The obtained outcomes hold significant implications for comprehending the PLA‐ b ‐PEO‐ b ‐PLA drug‐loaded system, thereby providing valuable insights for the design and formulation of optimized polymeric micelles with enhanced drug‐loading capabilities.…”

The Role of Mucoadhesion and Mucopenetration in the Immune Response Induced by Polymer-Based Mucosal Adjuvants

“…Other polymers with mucopenetration ability are poloxamers, also known as Pluronic ® . These block copolymers consist of hydrophilic poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO), and hydrophobic block-poly (propylene oxide) (PPO) ordered in an A-B-A triblock structure: PEO-PPO-PEO [ 172 , 173 , 174 ]. Díaz et al demonstrated that the addition of mucoadhesive and thermosensitive poloxamer 407(F127)-based hydrogels to CS microspheres in a formulation for nasal and conjunctival ram immunization improved both local and systemic humoral immune responses against the BLSOmp31 antigen, an outer membrane protein of Brucella spp., along with the reduced excretion of Brucella ovis [ 175 ].…”

Poly(Acrylic Acid)-Sodium Alginate Superabsorbent Hydrogels Synthesized by Electron Beam Irradiation Part I: Impact of Initiator Concentration and Irradiation Dose on Structure, Network Parameters and Swelling Properties

“…where υ S is the volume fraction of the polymer in the swollen gel; l is the length of the C-C bond along the polymer backbone (0.154 nm); C n is the Flory characteristic ratio of the polymer; M c is the average molar mass between cross-links; M r is the molecular mass of the repeated unit, V d is the volume ratio of water at equilibrium. The characteristic ratio C n was taken as the weighted average of C n values for poly(AA), SA, and PEO chains, according to their molar ratio in the hydrogel: poly(AA) = 6.7 [33], SA = 21.1 [34] and PEO = 4.98 [35].…”