Novel Polymer Capsules from Amphiphilic Graft Copolymers and Cross-Metathesis

We report the synthesis of polymer capsules from amphiphilic graft copolymers composed of reactive, hydrophobic polyolefin backbones and hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) grafts. The capsules are produced by self-assembly of the polymers at the oil-water interface, followed by cross-linking with bis-cyclooctene PEG derivatives. The fluorescence of these capsules results from integration of rhodamine B functionalized cyclooctene 1 into the polymer structure. The use of the graft copolymer architecture in capsule synthesis provides significant opportunities to tune both the surface properties, in terms of recognition, and the membrane properties, in terms of mechanical strength, encapsulation, and release.