Fluorophilic–Lipophilic–Hydrophilic Poly(2-oxazoline) Block Copolymers as MRI Contrast Agents: From Synthesis to Self-Assembly

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.8b00957
• Publication Date: 2018-08-02T11:49:53Z
• Authors: Leonid I. Kaberov; Bart Verbraeken; Anna Riabtseva; Jiri Brus; Aurel Radulescu; Yeshayahu Talmon; Petr Stepanek; Richard Hoogenboom; Sergey K. Filippov
• Keywords: Oxazoline; Dispersity; Cationic polymerization

This work focuses on the synthesis and self-assembly of triphilic poly(2-oxazoline) triblock copolymers with high fluorine content toward our future aim developing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents. A highly fluorinated 2-substituted-2-oxazoline monomer, namely 2-(1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl)-2-oxazoline, was synthesized using Grignard reaction. The polymerization kinetics monomer studied, it used for preparation hydrophilic 2-methyl-2-oxazoline, hydrophobic 2-octyl-2-oxazoline, fluorophilic blocks by cationic ring-opening yielding polymers low relatively dispersity (1.2–1.4). presence different nature in one copolymer structure facilitated water dimethyl sulfoxide as observed dynamic light scattering, cryo-transmission electron microscopy, small-angle neutron scattering. nanoparticle morphology is strongly influenced order length each block solvent, leading to nanoparticles core–shell confirmed reported have potential development MRI