Synthesis and Solution Properties of Double Hydrophilic Poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEO-b-PEtOx) Star Block Copolymers

We demonstrate the synthesis of star-shaped poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) [PEOm-b-PEtOxn]x block copolymers with eight arms using two different approaches, either the “arm-first” or the “core-first” strategy. Different lengths of the outer PEtOx blocks ranging from 16 to 75 repeating units were used, and the obtained materials [PEO28-b-PEtOxx]8 were characterized via size exclusion chromatography (SEC), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) measurements. First investigations regarding the solution behavior in water as a non-selective solvent revealed significant differences. Whereas materials synthesized via the “core-first” method seemed to be well soluble (unimers), aggregation occurred in the case of materials synthesized by the “arm-first” method using copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne click chemistry.