Abstract
Amphiphilic triblock copolymers, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) as a hydrophobic block and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as a hydrophilic block, were successfully synthesized, with an aim to broaden the potential application of PHBV in biomedical areas. Isophorone diisocyanate having two different reactive isocyanate groups was used as the coupling agent. Telechelic hydroxylated PHBV was prepared by alcoholysis reaction, isocyanate modified and finally reacted with PEG. Molecular weight of triblock copolymer increased with the increasing molecular weight of PHBV-diol and PEG. The length of the PHBV block and PEG block had a great influence on the crystallization behavior of the triblock copolymers. Thermal degradation temperature of PHBV segment enhanced greatly. The triblock copolymer showed a tendency toward formation of aggregation in aqueous solution with a critical aggregation concentration of 5.01×10-4 g·L-1, and the rod-shape assembly with a uniform hydrophilic shell might be employed as hydrophobic drug delivery systems.
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