Block copolymer nanostructures via self-assembly for biomedical applications

Functional block copolymer nanostructures of defined morphologies were designed and the influence of their structural characteristics, such as shape and stability on the biomedical properties was investigated. Amphiphilic block copolymers were synthesized via sequential RAFT polymerization or polymer-polymer coupling of different polymers and subsequently self-assembled into nanostructures. Furthermore, simultaneous block copolymerization and self-assembly were performed using polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) technique. Control over the morphology formation was gained through careful tuning of the formulation conditions. Therefore, systematic correlations between the conditions and the evolution of higher-ordered morphologies based on kinetic effects were revealed. The opportunity to stabilize and selectively destabilize the particles via core-crosslinking and core-oxidation was introduced and their potential to prevent a premature immune response or induce a selective release of encapsulated cargo was demonstrated. In addition, it could be shown that the particle shape represents a crucial factor for the selective uptake of nanostructures in inflamed intestinal tissue. This thesis emphasizes the huge potential of kinetically controlled block copolymer self-assembly for the preparation of tailor-made nanomaterials, which may serve as next-generation therapeutics, as well as reveal general relationships between the particle structure and their biomedical properties.

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