INVESTIGATION OF A SELF-ASSEMBLED NANOGEL STRUCTURE BEARING SPIROACETAL MOIETIES AND CHOLESTEROL AS LOW MOLECULAR MASS GELATOR

The research is following the properties of a new nanogel structure (PItAU_Ch) based on poly(itaconic anhydride-co-3,9-divinyl-2,4,8,10-tetraoxaspiro [5.5] undecane) and a low molecular mass gelator, namely cholesterol. The interest is entirely justified as nano-sized gel systems, presenting 3D polymer structures, are considered to be the most effective carriers owing to their dimension and capacity to hold larger amounts of solvent for the incorporation of bioactive compounds, for example. The physicochemical characteristics of the new PItAU_Ch structure are evaluated in terms of their thermal stability, spectroscopic and dielectric properties, to have useful information for the subsequent use of these nanogels.