Hybrid Dendritic Capsules: Properties and Binding Capabilities of Amphiphilic Copolymers with Linear Dendritic Architecture

This chapter describes the synthesis and the characterization of amphiphilic hybrid ABA block copolymers that self-assemble in aqueous media. The materials under investigation are constructed of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), as the water-soluble B block and poly(benzyl ether) monodendrons as the hydrophobic A fragments. The copolymers could be formed by different synthetic schemes that are briefly discussed. The process of self-assembly in aqueous media is investigated by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC. The data obtained indicate that the critical micelle concentrations (cmc) for these systems are between 1×10^-7 and 5×10^-6 mol/L and depend on the dendron/PEG ratio. The character of the micellar core is investigated by UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy using different polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The PAHs encapsulation results can also serve as a preliminary evaluation of the binding capabilities of the linear-dendritic amphiphiles and their potential application in the biomedical and environmental fields.