Amphiphilic methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(carbonate-selenide) with enhanced ROS responsiveness: Facile synthesis and oxidation process

The synthesis of ROS-responsive polymers has attracted much attentions in recent years. Herein, we report a series of amphiphilic methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(carbonate-selenide)s (mPEG45-b-poly(MSe)m, m = 12, 24, 36, 48, 60) by introducing selenide groups onto the backbone via one-pot lipase-catalyzed ring-opening polymerization (ROP), the synthesized amphiphilic polymers with enhanced ROS-responsiveness can self-assemble to form nanoparticles. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) are employed to confirm the structure of the polymers. Besides, the oxidation process of mPEG45-b-poly(MSe)m nanoparticles is also clarified. Ultraviolet–visible Spectrophotometer (UV–Vis), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) are further utilized to demonstrate the turbidity, morphology and size changes under oxidization, proving that the selenide groups endow the mPEG45-b-poly(MSe)m nanoparticles with enhanced ROS-response properties. Therefore, the above studies highlight the synthesized ROS-responsive polymers and provided a potential material for further applications.