Branched Acid-Degradable, Biocompatible Polyether Copolymers via Anionic Ring-Opening Polymerization Using an Epoxide Inimer

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/mz300265z
Christine Tonhauser, Christoph Schüll, Carsten Dingels, and Holger Fre

This group synthesized epoxide monomers containing acid-cleavable inimer units. They used these monomers to make hyperbranched co-polymers through anionic ring polymerization with ethylene oxide or glycidol.The polymers did not degrade to any significant extent in pH 7 D20 at room temperature. However, at pH 4, the polymers did degrade and kinetics of degradation depended on the % of acetal groups present in the polymer.