Bis‐hydrophilic and functional triblock terpolymers based on polyethers: Synthesis and self‐assembly in solution

Abstract A well‐defined triblock terpolymer, poly(ethylene glycol)‐ block ‐poly(allyl glycidyl ether)‐ block ‐poly( tert ‐butyl glycidyl ether) (PEG‐ b ‐PAGE‐ b ‐P t ‐BGE), with a narrow molar mass distribution has been synthesized by sequential living anionic ring‐opening polymerization. Afterward, the PAGE block was modified via thiol‐ene chemistry and different sugar moieties or cysteine as a model compound for peptides could be covalently attached to the polymer backbone. The solution self‐assembly of the obtained bis‐hydrophilic triblock terpolymers in aqueous media has been studied in detail by turbidimetry, dynamic light scattering, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM and cryo‐TEM). © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012