Thermoresponsive materials micelles

Thermoresponsive polymers based on oligo(ethylene glycol) acrylates or methacrylates can be easily prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization under straightforward experimental conditions (i.e. in bulk or in ethanol solution and in the presence of commercially available catalysts). Thus, these stimuli-responsive macromolecules can be exploited for preparing a wide range of smart advanced materials such as thermoreversible hydrogels, thermoresponsive block-copolymer micelles and switchable surfaces. Hence, some of the results... 

Dual-responsive polymer-based drug delivery vehicles offer even more versatility. Both temperature and enzyme-responsive micelles were formed from block polymers. While the thermoresponsive properties of the material allow it to be injected and subsequently form a reservoir in the body from where micelles enter the blood stream, the enzyme-responsive component allows triggered degradation of the micelles and release of the drug at the location of the diseased tissue (Garripelli et fl/.,2011). A doubly enzyme-responsive system can be obtained, for example, by designing polymer capsules with a shell that contains two layers. The two layers are degraded by different enzymes thus, proteins entrapped in the outer layer itself can be released upon exposure to the first enzyme, whereas the second enzyme destroys the capsule completely and liberates the proteins entrapped in the cavity of the vehicle (Itoh et al, 2008). 

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