Structural and Rheological Properties of Temperature-Responsive Amphiphilic Triblock Copolymers in Aqueous Media

Thermoresponsive amphiphilic biodegradable block copolymers of the type poly(e-caprolactone-co-lactide)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(e-caprolactone-co-lactide) (PCLA-PEGm-PCLA) have great potential for various biomedical applications. In the present study, we have surveyed the effects of PEG spacer length (m = 1000 and 1500), temperature, and polymer concentration on the self-assembling process to form supramolecular structures in aqueous solutions of the PCLA-PEGm-PCLA copolymer. This copolymer has a lower critical solution temperature, and the cloud point depends on both concentration and PEG length. Thermoreversible hydrogels are formed in the semidilute regime; the gel windows in the phase diagrams can be tuned by the concentration and length of the PEG spacer. The rheological properties of both dilute and semidilute samples were characterized; especially the sol-to-gel transition was examined. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments reveal fundamental structural differences between the two co...