Highly efficient and versatile formation of biocompatible star polymers in pure water and their stimuli-responsive self-assembly

Abstract

This study demonstrates the rapid and efficient formation of functional core cross-linked star polymers via copper-mediated reversible-deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) in pure water using fully soluble monomers and cross-linkers. This high throughput "arm-first" methodology allows the generation of complex nanoarchitectures with tailored core, shell, or periphery- functionalities and is potentially well-suited for biomedical applications given that the macromolecular synthesis is performed entirely in water. To exemplify this approach, different homo- and miktoarm star polymers composed of either poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), poly(2-hydroxyethyl acrylate) (PHEA), and poly(e..