Novel amphiphilic ternary polysaccharide derivates chitosan‐g‐ PCL‐b‐MPEG: Synthesis, characterization, and aggregation in aqueous solution

Chitosan‐g‐PCL‐b‐MPEG copolymers of various compositions were successful synthesized via a protection‐graft‐deprotection procedure, by the esterification of phthaloyl‐protected chitosan (PHCS) with MPEG‐b‐PCL‐COOH, which was synthesized from MPEG and ε‐caprolactone and carboxylated by maleic anhydride. The chemical structure of the chitosan‐g‐PCL‐b‐MPEG was characterized by Fourier transform infrared and NMR spectroscopy. The chitosan‐g‐PCL‐b‐MPEG was obtained as amphoteric hybrid with amino polysaccharide backbone and amphiphilic MPEG‐b‐PCL side chain. Their crystallinity and aggregation behavior in aqueous solution were also investigated. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 86: 403–408, 2007. This article was originally published online as an accepted preprint. The “Published Online” date corresponds to the preprint version. You can request a copy of the preprint by emailing the Biopolymers editorial office at biopolymers@wiley.com