Liquid–liquid phase separation in aqueous solutions of poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate homopolymers

Abstract

Here, the liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) in aqueous solutions containing poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) methacrylate homopolymers is reported for the first time. In this study, the thermoresponse of concentrated solutions of DEGMA60 (two ethylene glycol, EG, groups) TEGMA71 (three EG groups), OEGMA300x (4.5 in average EG groups) of varying molar masses (MM), and OEGMA50028 (nine in average EG groups) is discussed. Interestingly, the temperature of LLPS (TLLPS) is controlled by the length of the PEG side chain, the MM of the OEGMA300x and the polymer concentration. More specifically, the transition temperature decreases with: (i) Decrease in the length of the PEG side chain, (ii) increase in MM of the OEGMA300x, and increase in concentration. In addition, LLPS is also observed in mixtures of OEGMA300x with Pluronic® F127. In conclusion, these systems present a thermally induced LLPS, with the transition temperature being finely tuned to room temperature when DEGMA is used. These systems find potential use in numerous applications, varying from purification to “water‐in‐water” emulsions.

pH sensitive water-in-water emulsions based on the pullulan and poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) aqueous two-phase system

“…12 Phase separation and behaviour in the ATPS depend among other factors on polymer concentration, polymer molar mass, pH, and temperature. [13][14][15][16] One key factor for the critical polymer concentration and correspondingly a stable APTS is the molar mass of the used compounds. In recetn years, various studies showed a significant influence of the molar mass to the critical polymer concentration.…”

How does the polymer architecture and position of cationic charges affect cell viability?

“…55,56 Dispersity ( Đ ) (molar mass distribution) values vary between 1.10 and 1.20, and agree with previously reported values for copolymers synthesised through GTP and using OEGMA monomers. 57–60…”

“…55,56 Dispersity (Đ) (molar mass distribution) values vary between 1.10 and 1.20, and agree with previously reported values for copolymers synthesised through GTP and using OEGMA monomers. [57][58][59][60] . The GPC profile (Figure 2) confirms the successful synthesis of polymer 1 (AB), OEGMA300 16 -b-DMAEMA 32 , and its precursor, with minimal deactivation.…”

Smart Poly(lactide)-b-poly(triethylene glycol methyl ether methacrylate) (PLA-b-PTEGMA) Block Copolymers: One-Pot Synthesis, Temperature Behavior, and Controlled Release of Paclitaxel

“…Furthermore, a great advantage of such polymers is that their LCST can be tuned according to their application requirements. For example, it has been shown that LCST values close to physiological temperatures (i.e., 310 K, ~37 • C) could be achieved by the copolymerization of OEGMA with various hydrophobic monomers [26][27][28][29][30][31][32]. Of the abovementioned polymethacrylates, PTEGMA appears to be a suitable candidate for biomedical applications because its LCST of ~50 • C can be also tuned by copolymerization with hydrophobic monomers; however, its copolymerization and behavior under temperature variations has seldom been explored.…”