Degree Of Ethoxylation Research Articles

Manipulating the hydrophilic / hydrophobic balance in novel cationic surfactants by ethoxylation: The impact on adsorption and self-assembly

HypothesisCationic surfactants have a wide range of applications, often associated with their affinity for a range of solid surfaces and their anti-microbial properties. Manipulating their adsorption and self-assembly properties is key to most applications, and this is commonly achieved through surfactant mixtures or manipulating their headgroup or alkyl chain structure. Achieving this through adjustments to their headgroup structure is less common in cationic surfactants than in anionic surfactants. Ethoxylation provides the ability to adjust the hydrophilic / hydrophobic balance, as extensively demonstrated in a range of anionic surfactants. ExperimentsThis same approach has been applied here to a range of ethoxylated cationic surfactants in the form of the quaternary ammonium salts, and their tertiary nonionic equivalents before quaternisation. Their adsorption and self-assembly properties are investigated using predominantly the neutron scattering techniques of neutron reflectivity, NR, and small angle neutron scattering, SANS. FindingsThe trends in the adsorption at the air–water interface and the self-assembly in aqueous solution demonstrate how the hydrophilic / hydrophobic balance can be adjusted by varying the degree of ethoxylation and the alkyl chain length, and illustrate the degree of interdependence of the different structural changes. The variation in the adsorption and the micelle structure shows how the surfactant conformation / packing changes as the degree of ethoxylation and alkyl chain length increases and how the introduction of charge induces further changes.

Coal-Based Branched Vicinal Diol Ethoxylates Versus Guerbet Alcohol Ethoxylates: Role of Tertiary Hydroxyl Groups.

Branched surfactants exhibit a lower surface tension, excellent low defoaming performance, and better wetting ability compared with linear surfactants, making them promising for applications in industrial cleaning. In this study, 2-hexyl-1-decene (C8 olefin dimer), obtained from the dimerization of 1-octene, was used as the hydrophobe to synthesize branched nonionic surfactants via hydroxylation and ethoxylation. The hydroxylation of the C8 olefin dimer to synthesize 2-hexyldecane-1,2-diol (C8 BD) using H2O2 and HCOOH was investigated systematically. Under the optimal reaction conditions (H2O2/C8 olefin dimer molar ratio: 1.5, HCOOH/C8 olefin dimer molar ratio: 4.0, reaction time: 10 h, reaction temperature: 50 °C), the conversion of the C8 olefin dimer and selectivity toward C8 BD were found to reach 99.96 and 79.89%, respectively. Further, branched nonionic surfactants (C8 BDEn) were synthesized via ethoxylation of C8 BD with ethylene oxide and characterized using FTIR, LCMS, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR techniques. The presence of a tertiary hydroxyl group in C8 BD increases the reactivity of the primary hydroxyl group, leading to a narrower range of products and lower residual substrate content. The physicochemical properties and surface properties of C8 BDEn with different degrees of ethoxylation at various concentrations were investigated and compared with those of commercially available Guerbet alcohol polyoxyethylene ethers (C8 GAEO9 and C6 GAEO9). The results show that, compared with C8 GAEO9 and C6 GAEO9, C8 BDE6 displayed a higher surface activity with a lower equilibrium surface tension (27.14 mN·m-1), superior wettability with a smaller contact angle (39.2°), better emulsification performance with a longer emulsification time of 548 s, and excellent foaming properties (initial foam volume of 11.6 mL). This strategy of utilizing coal-based α-olefins for the synthesis of branched nonionic surfactants presents a route to prepare value-added fine chemicals from coal-based resources.

USE OF ETHOXYLATED ALCOHOLS WITH ANIONIC SURFACTANTS FOR ENHANCED RECOVERY

The article is devoted to the development of surfactant compositions, including a number of known anionic surfactants, in formulations with new types of nonionic surfactants - fatty alcohols with an increased degree of ethoxylation. The solubilizing properties of new types of fatty ethoxylated alcohols have been exploited during formulation development. A conductometric method was used to control the assembly of the formulations. After evaluating the stability of the resulting compositions, physicochemical properties were evaluated, including thermal stability and corrosiveness. The freezing point of the compositions was evaluated at temperatures down to minus 40 °C. The search for stable compositions was carried out for aggressive application conditions: at 90 ° C for models of mineralized formation waters having a total amount of dissolved salts in the range of 100-300 g/l. Ranges including critical concentrations of formulations at which colloidal structures are stable and exhibit maximum surface activity were evaluated. When determining the interfacial tension at the surfactant-hydrocarbon liquid solution boundary, a number of developed compositions showed ultra-low interfacial tension (less than 0.01 mN/m). Biodegradability was evaluated for compositions showing the best properties. According to the results of the assessment, biodegradability was more than 98 %, which reduces environmental risks. The results obtained by the authors show that a number of compositions collected by conductometric method are stable under aggressive conditions and can be used in the field of chemical methods for increasing oil recovery. The resulting compositions were adapted to reduce human factors in subsequent applications. The results reflect the potential of these approaches in adapting and selecting surfactant compositions for chemical waterflooding to enhance oil recovery. The development of technologies for the ethoxylation of higher fatty alcohols allows the manufacturability of processes for the production, collection and treatment of oil and gas. The development of practices for the use of new chemical technologies will expand the capabilities of subsoil users and reduce the risks associated with the use of large-scale chemical products.

Effect of Different Ethylene Oxide Addition Numbers on the Performance of Polyoxyethylene Tallow Amine as a Pesticide Emulsifier.

Surfactant reduces the surface tension of liquids, resulting in improved emulsion stability, and there is great interest in pesticide additives. Ethoxylate is often used as a pesticide emulsifier. However, the degree of ethoxylation and the existence of dioxane byproducts can significantly affect the performance of emulsifiers. Here, a series of polyoxyethylene tallow amines with the addition of different numbers of ethylene oxide (EO) were synthesized and characterized. Their physical and chemical performances were measured. The ability of POEA as a surfactant to reduce water surface tension and the surface adsorption of molecules were assessed based on the static and dynamic surface tensions. The results show that the surfactant molecules preferentially form a saturated adsorption layer in solution, and the mixed-diffusion-kinetics mechanism dominates the adsorption process. With the increase of the EO addition number, the emulsifying property of POEA increases, while the wetting property gradually decreases and the contact angle increases. These results can provide a basis for the selection of pesticide additives. At the same time, the mechanism of removing dioxane by ethoxylate is described, and a simple and low-consumption method is put forward to reduce the dioxane content. It provides a new idea for the removal of dioxane.

Interaction of surfactants with Prunus laurocerasus leaf surfaces: time-dependent recovery of wetting contact angles depends on physico-chemical properties of surfactants

BackgroundSurfactants are added to spray solutions because they significantly improve foliar uptake of active ingredients (AIs) into the leaves. It was intended to investigate whether surfactant solutions forming a dried deposit on Prunus leaf surfaces after they were sprayed, lead to structural and functional changes of the cuticle/atmosphere interface. This could potentially result in irreversibly enhanced leaf surface wetting, which should be of major disadvantage. Enhanced wetting could promote leaching of ions and promote leaf surface colonization with microorganisms.ResultsPrunus laurocerasus leaf surfaces were sprayed with aqueous solutions of non-ionic alcohol ethoxylates, a cationic, an anionic and one large polar surfactant. Directly after spraying and drying of the different surfactant solutions, wetting contact angles of deionized water (without surfactant) were significantly lower (between 6 and 54°) compared to wetting contact angles on untreated leaves (77°). Leaf surface wettability with deionized water was more pronounced with non-ionic alcohol ethoxylates (wetting contact angles ranging between 6 and 22°) compared to the other 3 surfactants (wetting contact angles ranging between 42 and 54°). Wetting contact angles of deionized water on leaf surfaces treated with non-ionic alcohol ethoxylates continuously increased again over time resulting in final wetting contact angles not different from untreated leaf surfaces. The time-dependent recovery of wetting contact angles was dependent on the degree of ethoxylation of the non-ionic alcohol ethoxylates. The wetting contact angle recovery rate was lower the higher the degree of ethoxylation of the alcohol ethoxylates was. With the cationic, anionic and large polar surfactant a recovery of wetting contact angles was not observed. In addition, on fully dehydrated and dead leaves wetting contact angle recovery was not observed for any of the tested surfactants after spraying and drying. Analytical determinations of the amounts of alcohol ethoxylates on the leaf surfaces after spraying and drying showed that amounts of alcohol ethoxylates decreased over time on the surface (24–72 h).ConclusionOur results indicate that non-ionic alcohol ethoxylates diffused within hours from the leaf surface into the leaf over time and thus fully disappeared from the leaf surface. This was not the case with the cationic, anionic and the large polar surfactants remaining on the leaf surface.Graphical

Increasing Recovery Factor in Heavy Oil Fields Using Alternating Steam and Surfactant Injection

Fossil fuels, particularly oil, currently dominate the global energy matrix. With a projected 30% increase in demand by 2040 compared to 2010, it is crucial to maintain current oil production levels. To achieve this, it is necessary to increase the oil recovery factor through alternative methodologies that will improve oil extraction from reservoirs and exploration viability in mature fields. While previous studies have investigated thermal and chemical methods to increase the recovery factor, this study aims to explore the synergy between steam and non-ionic surfactants varying the surfactant degrees of ethoxylation and injection configurations. The experimental study investigated the application of solutions of ethoxylated nonylphenol surfactants (NP-10EO and NP-100EO) combined with steam injection into banks at different concentrations and injection configurations. The results showed that combining the NP-100EO surfactant (0.5% m/m) with steam demonstrated the highest oil recovery (64.88%) compared to conventional steam (45.19%). The most effective configurations were surfactant + steam + surfactant (65.06%) and surfactant + steam + water (65.88%). These findings suggest that the proposed technique of steam injection and surfactant solution could be a promising alternative. By revitalizing marginal fields, this technique could help extend production and stimulate local and regional development.

Surface and thermodynamics properties of commercial fatty-alcohol ethoxylate surfactants

The present study provides the surface and thermodynamic properties data of commercial fatty-alcohol ethoxylate surfactants (FAEs) at different temperatures (25–60 °C). These compounds are a mixture of fatty-alcohol ethoxylate oligomers with different degree of ethoxylation (2.6–11) and length of the alkyl chain (C10-C18). In this work, we analyzed determinate the water content by the Karl-Fisher method and measured the surface tension using the Wilhelmy plate method. In addition, we studied the effect of their structural parameters (degree of ethoxylation and length of alkyl chain) and the temperature on the changes of the thermodynamic functions (Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, and entropy) for the processes of adsorption and micellization. It was found an exponential decrease of the critical micellar concentration (CMC) in molar scale with the length alkyl chain of the fatty-alcohol ethoxylate surfactants, and the CMC values and thermodynamic parameters agree with those values found in literature for pure compounds. Moreover, the micellization entropy increases with the degree of ethoxylation of the surfactant.

Synthesis of amphiphilic molecular brushes by solution radical copolymerization of oligoethylene glycol and oligopropylene glycol methacrylates

The regularities of radical copolymerization of methoxyoligo(ethylene glycol)methacrylate (MOEGM) with an ethoxylation degree of 11 and methoxyoligo(propylene glycol)methacrylate (MOPGM) with a propoxylation degree of 6 or 10 in toluene solutions were determined. The copolymers formed at low degrees of conversion are enriched with ethoxylated ether units in both pairs of monomers. The relative activities of the comonomers determined by the Fineman-Ross methods are in the range of 1.36–1.88 (MOEGM) and 0.56–0.92 (MOPGM). It has been established that the activity of MOPGM decreases with an increase in the length of the oligopropylene glycol chain.

Phisico-chemical compatibility of non-ionic surfactants and mineral oils as a criterion for the formation of stable emulsions of direct type

The emulsifiability of nonionic surfactants towards mineral oils is discussed. It was established that the emulsifiability of ethoxylated alkylphenols/alkyphenol ethoxylates (APEOs) as their compatibility with mineral oils (MOs) depend on the degree of ethoxylation and the chemical character of oil. The emulsifiability of APEOs as emulsifiers of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions can be expressed through the relationship of the water number (WN) of APEO to the (WN) of MO. This relationship assists the selection of the most suitable pair (emulsifier-oil) for a stable o/w emulsion formation. Keywords: surfactants; hydrophile-lipophile balance; alkylphenol ethoxylates; emulsifier; water number; mineral oils; oil-in-water emulsions; emulsifiability.

Modelling the partitioning equilibria of nonionic surfactant mixtures within the HLD framework

Commercial non-ionic surfactants are usually blends of species differing in the degree of ethoxylation, characterised by a distribution of surfactants with different affinity for the oil and the aqueous phases. This leads to an unexpected concentration dependence of the phase behaviour and the rationalization of such deviations is necessary for their exploitation in surfactant-based formulations. In this work, the phase behaviour of commercial Novel® nonionic surfactants in presence of brine and oil was studied fixing equal volumes of organic and aqueous phases and changing the amount of surfactant and brine salinity (fish cut). The conditions for the balanced state (microemulsion solubilizing equals amount of water and oil) have been determined for different alkanes. The phase behaviour of the surfactant mixture was described, without a priori information about its actual chemical composition, in terms of two pseudo-components: one hydrophilic, entirely at the interface, and the other lipophilic, able to partition itself between the interface and the oil bulk according to a partition constant P. The pseudo-components effect on the interface is quantified through surfactant characteristic parameters (SCPs), according to the Hydrophilic-Lipophilic-Difference (HLD) model. SCPs and P can be experimentally determined by fitting the dependence of the balanced state on the surfactant concentration. The model is successfully applied to the tested surfactants and can quantitively predict the behaviour of their mixtures.

Molecular mechanism study on the effect of nonionic surfactants with different degrees of ethoxylation on the wettability of anthracite

A serious risk to the production safety of coal mines is coal dust. The wettability of coal may be successfully changed by adding surfactants to water. However, the creation of very effective dust suppressants is constrained by the lack of knowledge about the microscopic interaction mechanism between coal dust and surfactants. In this investigation, we explained macroscopic experimental phenomena from a molecular perspective. The lauryl polyoxyethylene ethers (C12 (EO)n, n = 7,15,23) were selected. The macromolecular model of anthracite with 55 different components was constructed. Surface tension experiments and hydrophilic lipophilic balance (HLB) calculations showed that the ability of surface hydrophilicization followed the order of C12 (EO)7<C12 (EO)15<C12 (EO)23. Contact angle experiment, XPS and FTIR experiments proved that after the surfactants were adsorbed on the surface of anthracite, the content of carbon element decreased and the content of oxygen element increased, indicating the enhanced surface hydrophilicity. The simulation results showed that with the degree of ethoxylation increases, the adsorption strength of surfactants becomes stronger, and the hydrophilic head group of surfactant on anthracite surface is more uniformly distributed. The greater the degree of ethoxylation, the more powerfully the modified coal surface can bind to water molecules.

Study of the efficiency of technical grade nonionic surfactants

AbstractParameters concerning the microemulsion phase behavior of nonionic surfactants of the alkyl polyglycol ether type have extensively been investigated in the last years. By studying these, essential parameters for future applications can be determined. Especially in the field of enhanced oil recovery, lubricants, and cosmetic applications these parameters are of special interest. In this work, the influence of technical grade nonionic surfactants on the phase behavior and the resulting surfactant efficiency has been studied. For this, the alkyl chain length, the degree, type, and order of alkoxylation of the surfactant have been varied. The investigation of these parameters has been conducted by measuring the phase behavior via the Kahlweit fish diagram. It has been found that varying the C‐chain length has a great impact on the efficiency, whereas the influence of the ethoxylation degree is minor. By the introduction of propylene oxide, the efficiency has been improved significantly. Additionally, it is important to have the right order of alkoxylation. If the fatty alcohol is first ethoxylated and afterwards propoxylated the efficiency is significantly decreased.

Adsorption study of non-ionic ethoxylated nonylphenol surfactant for sandstone reservoirs: Batch and continuous flow systems

The use of surfactants in Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) projects has been extensively studied. The process of adsorption of these substances in the reservoir rocks is strictly important, since it provides a change in their wettability, allowing an increase in the oil recovery factor. However, the understanding of how the adsorption of surfactants occurs and the main phenomena involved in this process is still widely discussed. Thus, the objective of this work is to investigate and elucidate the adsorption behavior of surfactants of the Nonylphenol ethoxylated family (10EO, 40EO and 100EO) in sandstone rocks. It was possible to verify that the higher the degree of ethoxylation of the surfactant solutions used, the lower the adsorption capacity. The batch adsorption presented the Redlich-Peterson model as the answer that best determines the adsorption isotherm, where the adsorption occurs in monolayer and multilayers. As for the study of adsorption flow, the Chu logistic model is recommended, to determine the necessary parameters of the rupture curves and apply the other models to calculate the adsorption capacity. The Thomas and Yoon-Nelson models showed adsorption capacity values with a mean relative error of 10.38 % and 10.75 %, respectively.

Synthesis of branched surfactant via ethoxylation of oleic acid derivative and its surface properties

A class of bio-based nonionic surfactants with double hydrophilic head groups (DMOE n ) was obtained from the waste cooking oil. • A new strategy for the preparation of branched surfactants from renewable oleic acid in waste cooking oil was proposed, and a class of bio-based nonionic surfactants with double hydrophilic head groups (DMOE n ) was obtained. • The ethoxylation reaction process of DMO and its reaction kinetic were both systematically optimized and studied. • The surface activities, aggregation and adsorption behaviors of DMOE n were investigated, and it was discovered that DMOE n had the characteristics of typical branched surfactant with good wetting performance, low foaming and strong defoaming ability. A new series of bio-based branched nonionic surfactants (ethoxylated dihydroxy stearic acid methyl ester, DMOE n ) was synthesized and characterized. DMOE n was based on a hydroxyoctadecanoic acid methyl ester, which was obtained from renewable oleic acid in waste cooking oil. These new polyoxyethylene surfactants contained double hydrophilic and hydrophobic chains, which shows the surface properties of the branched surfactant. The synthesis rules and reaction kinetics were studied in detail. The physicochemical properties and surface properties of the DMOE n with different degrees of ethoxylation at various concentrations were investigated. Furthermore, the surface tension results indicate that DMOE n reduced the surface tension reduction and increased the diffusion rate in an aqueous solution. The dynamic contact angle, wettability, foaming properties, and emulsifying capacity tests showed that DMOE n exhibited good wetting performance, low foaming, fast defoaming, and excellent emulsifying ability, which shows that the surfactant has potential application in industrial cleaning.

Determination of degree of ethoxylation of fatty alcohol ethoxylates by FTIR/ATR spectroscopy and multivalibrate calibration

Abstract The aim of the present work is to develop a fast and simple methodology of analysis of the degree of ethoxylation (ethylene oxide content – EO) of linear C12–C15 fatty alcohol ethoxylates using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance accessory. The spectra were recorded in the range of 2000 cm−1 to 600 cm−1, with 64 scans and a resolution of 4 cm−1. The calibration of a linear model using the partial least square regression method applied to the spectral data allowed determination of the ethylene oxide content of the samples. The regression coefficient obtained for the model was R 2 = 0.9948 and the precision of the model was 0.014. The methodology is an important tool for quality control of non-ionic surfactants used in manufacturing of a broad range of final products in the chemical industry.

Alcohol Ethoxylates Enhancing the Cuticular Uptake of Lipophilic Epoxiconazole Do Not Increase the Rates of Cuticular Transpiration of Leaf and Fruit Cuticles.

Surfactants are known to enhance the foliar uptake of agrochemicals by plasticizing the transport-limiting barrier of plant cuticles. The effects of two different polydisperse alcohol ethoxylates with a low degree [mean ethoxylation of 5 ethylene oxide units (EOs)] and a high degree (mean ethoxylation of 10 EOs) of ethoxylation on cuticular barrier properties were investigated. The diffusion of the lipophilic organic molecule 14C-epoxiconazole and of polar 3H-water across cuticles isolated from six different plant species was investigated. At low surfactant coverages (10 μg cm-2), the diffusion of water across the cuticles was not affected by the two surfactants. Only at very high surfactant coverages (100-1000 μg cm-2) was the diffusion of water enhanced by the two surfactants between 5- and 50-fold. Unlike that of water, the diffusion of epoxiconazole was significantly enhanced 12-fold at surfactant coverages of 10 and 100 μg cm2 by the surfactant with low ethoxylation (5 EOs), and it decreased to 6-fold at a surfactant coverage of 1000 μg cm-2. The alcohol ethoxylate with a high degree of ethoxylation (10 EOs) only weakly increased the epoxiconazole diffusion. Our results clearly indicate that those surfactants that significantly enhance the uptake of the lipophilic agrochemicals (e.g., epoxiconazole) at a realistic leaf surface coverage of 10 μg cm-2, as is applied in the field, do not interfere with cuticular transpiration as an unwanted negative side effect.

Influence of Nonionic Surfactant Hydrophobicity on the Tribological Properties of Microemulsion Systems Aimed at Cutting Fluid Applications

The development of new environmentally-friendly cutting fluids is an important technological advancement. The aim of this study was to assess the tribological behavior of microemulsions (W/O) developed with epoxidized soybean oil and nonionic surfactants with different degrees of ethoxylation (NP4EO, NP6EO and NP9.5EO). The tribological performance of the microemulsion systems was assessed in a High Frequency Reciprocating Rig (HFRR) tribometer. Microemulsions showed Newtonian fluid behavior, with viscosities compatible with conventional cutting fluids. In addition, contact angle values above 90º indicate spherical-shaped drops on the surface on which they are deposited, due to their hydrophobic nature. The microemulsions formulated using surfactants with lower ethoxylation numbers and 20% concentration exhibited greater stability, lower viscosity and better friction reduction during tribological contact between surfaces, given that the average wear scar diameter was 118 µm with smooth surfaces exhibiting slight slippage wear caused by abrasion, as identified by SEM/EDS analyses.

Modeling the kinetic regularities of the preparation of dibutoxyethyl adipates

Additives are important components of PVC composites, providing polymer modification and retention of its properties throughout the entire period of operation. The development and application of environmentally friendly adipate plasticizers is urgent. The article presents the results of kinetic studies of the esterification of adipic acid with ethoxylated n-butanol of varying degrees of ethoxylation. The effect of various catalysts on the yield of the target ester and the degree of ethoxylation on the rate of the esterification reaction was studied. A mathematical model of the kinetics of the process of obtaining dibutoxyethyl adipates of various degrees of ethoxylation has been developed, which makes it possible to predict the technological indicators of the efficiency of the acid catalyst and the effect of the degree of ethoxylation of the alcohol used. Keywords: adipate plasticizer; kinetics; mathematical model; polyvinyl chloride; prediction; esterification.

Evaluation of nonylphenol surfactant in enhanced oil recovery by SAG and WAG method

The oil production from reservoirs using foams stabilized by surfactants is currently a promising technique to increase sweep efficiency. However, choosing the ideal surfactant and how it will be applied within the production technique is essential for an expressive oil recovery yield, thus requiring careful studies and tests in order to have a good application performance. In this work, the authors aimed to evaluate the use of a nonionic surfactant with a high degree of ethoxylation (nonylphenol 100EO) to generate divergent foams in the SAG method (surfactant alternating gas injection) in order to compare it with the WAG method (water alternating gas injection process) under the same injection conditions. The experiments showed that the SAG method increased the oil production up to 31.37%, while the WAG increased it up to 27.70%. It was possible to verify through the tests that the SAG containing nonylphenol 100EO exhibited greater efficiency ithin a smaller number of injection cycles (from 26.71% up to 31.37%), while the WAG presented the opposite behavior, which efficiency decreased with the smaller number of injection cycles (from 25.64% to 10.96%).

Composition-controlled degradation behavior of macroporous scaffolds from three-armed biodegradable macromers

Acidification of implant microenvironment and inflammation due to degradation products of high molecular weight poly(α‑hydroxy acids) like PLA and PLGA is a risk that can limit their use in regenerative medicine, tissue engineering and drug delivery. We developed macromers that consist of a three-armed core with varying degrees of ethoxylation, hydrolytically degradable oligolactide blocks and terminal methacrylate groups (TriLA macromers) for cross-polymerization into monolithic or macroporous structures. Within the macromer platform, biophysical and biochemical properties can be adjusted by macromer chemistry. In this work, eight new macromer types with a reduced degree of methacrylation or substitution of a fraction of the lactic acid units with glycolic acid were successfully synthesized starting from a fully methacrylated, oligolactide-based TriLA macromer. Chemical characterization confirmed feed-dependent glycolic acid integration and controlled reduction in degree of methacrylation. The degradation behavior of macroporous scaffolds made by solid lipid templating from both the previously established and the new macromers was systematically investigated. In general, the scaffolds displayed continuous mass loss over time when the onset time of degradation was passed. Depending on arm length as well as hydrophilicity of the oligomeric building blocks, degradation half-life ranged from 3 to 4 weeks to over 81 weeks. Glycolic acid integration accelerated network degradation more effectively than an increase in core molecule hydrophilicity. The observed, adjustable degradation profiles with only moderate medium acidification and a dominant phase of almost linear mass loss make this material platform promising for regenerative and drug delivery applications.