We report the effect of the addition of potassium chloride on the thermoresponsive assembly of an amphiphilic graft copolymer, poly(ethylene glycol)-graft-(poly(vinyl caprolactam)-<i>co</i>-poly(vinyl acetate)) (commercial name Soluplus<sup>®</sup>). This polymer has received attention due to is biomedical applications as a solubalizer for drugs with poor water solubility and due to the change in its rheological properties close to body temperature. Here we explore the effect of ionic strength on the formation of micelles and the gelation process. Soluplus® forms micelles close to 60nm at room temperature, and aggregates into small particles on the micron scale at 32 °C. A concentration dependent sol-gel transition occurs between 32 and 42 °C. Both of these critical temperatures are lowed with the addition of KCl, as seen through dynamic light scattering and x-ray scattering. This effect is important to understand the potential reaction of Soluplus® to body conditions, and further study is being performed to discern the complex nanostructure between to two critical temperatures observed.

Effect of salt on the thermoresponsive behavior of an amphiphilic graft copolymer, poly(ethylene glycol)-graft-(poly(vinyl caprolactam)-co-poly(vinyl acetate))

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