One-pot synthesis of poly(N-vinylcaprolactam)-based biocompatible block copolymers using a dual initiator for ROP and RAFT polymerization

Thermosensitive, biocompatible poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-b-poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (PCL-b-PVCL), poly(delta-ovalerolactone)-b-PVCL, and poly(trimethylene carbonate)-b-PVCL block copolymers were synthesized at 30 degrees C using a hydroxyl-functionalized xanthate reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) agent, 2-hydroxyethyl 2-(ethoxycarbonothioylthio)propanoate (HECP), as a dual initiator for ring-opening polymerization (ROP) and RAFT polymerization in a one-pot procedure. The hydrophobic blocks were first synthesized by the ROP of cyclic monomers using diphenyl phosphate (DPP) as a catalyst and the RAFT polymerization of the PVCL block was followed by adding N-vinylcaprolactam (VCL) and 2,2'-azobis(4-methoxy-2,4-dimethyl valeronitrile) (V-70) as an initiator to the reaction mixture. This novel one-pot process is convenient and powerful method for the synthesis of the PVCL-based biocompatible block copolymers. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the PVCL-based biocompatible block copolymer can be readily tuned by controlling the hydrophobicity of the block copolymers. By copolymerizing a hydrophilic N-vinylpyrrolidone moiety to the PVCL blocks by RAFT copolymerization, the LCST of the copolymer was matched with the body temperature for its future biomedical applications. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.