We have prepared novel thermoreversible hydrogels from a series of ABC triblock terpolypeptoids [i.e., poly(N-allyl glycine)-b-poly(N-methyl glycine)-b-poly(N-decyl glycine) (AMD)] with well-defined structure and varying composition. A combination of small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and microscopic techniques demonstrate that the ABC triblock terpolypeptoids form poly(N-decyl glycine)-core micelles in water at room temperature and undergo a thermoreversible sol−gel transition through the formation of two-compartment micellar networks upon heating above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of poly(N-allyl glycine). The effects of chemical composition and polymer concentration on the structure of hydrogel networks and the hydrogel mechanical property are revealed. It was found that the structural reorganization of the binary micellar network during the sol-gel transition strongly depends on the molar ratio between the hydrophobic and hydrophilic blocks. These results shed new lights on the gelation mechanism and structural-property relationships of ABC terpolypeptoid hydrogels, which are of great significance in the development of thermoreversible polymeric hydrogels with tunable structures and mechanical properties.

Structural evolution of thermoreversible triblock terpolypeptoid hydrogels undergo sol-gel transition

255th National Meeting (2018)

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