Choi, Jewon Kim, Seyoung Mun, Huy Ju Yoo, Jin Choi, Soo-Hyung Char, Kookheon 2024-01-19T12:01:45Z 2024-01-19T12:01:45Z 2022-04-05 2022-06 1022-1336 https://pubs.kist.re.kr/handle/201004/115172 ABC triblock copolymers composed of hydrophobic poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL), zwitterionic poly(carboxybetaine methacrylate) midblock, and P(PEGMA-UPy0.15) containing supramolecular ureidopyrimidinone moieties, poly(epsilon-caprolactone-block-carboxybetaine methacrylate-block-[poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate-co-(alpha-methacryloyl-omega-(6-(3-(6-methyl-4-oxo-1,4-dihydropyrimidin-2-yl)ureido)hexylcarbamoyloxy)poly(ethylene glycol))]), are investigated to achieve multifunctional antifreeze hydrogels. The PCL and P(PEGMA-UPy0.15) blocks induce the formation of physical network with a hierarchical nanostructure comprising hydrophobic PCL cores and supramolecular junctions, respectively. The super-hydrophilic nature of polyzwitterion midblocks and the confinement effect of the supramolecular junctions enhance the antifreeze performance, where the majority of water molecules remains supercooled below sub-zero temperature. The hydrogel relaxation characterized over a wide range of timescale reveals that the facile dynamics of the supramolecular junctions lead to the self-healing and injectability of the hydrogels. In conjunction with the biodegradable PCL cores, the antifreeze and rheological characteristics of the triblock copolymer hydrogels provide significant potential to use for cryo-preservable and bio-injectable drug storage and delivery. English WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH Antifreeze and Rheological Properties of Injectable Triblock Copolymer Hydrogels with Supramolecular Junctions Article 10.1002/marc.202100618 1 MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS, v.43, no.12 MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS 43 12 N scie scopus 000719133100001 2-s2.0-85119083804 Polymer Science Polymer Science Article BLOCK-COPOLYMERS B-PEO CRYOPRESERVATION CRYSTALLIZATION NUCLEATION POLYMER DIMERS GELS antifreeze hydrogels injectability self-healing supramolecular interactions triblock copolymer