Preparation and characterization of biodegradable nanoparticles based on amphiphilic poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)–poly(ethylene glycol)–poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) triblock copolymer

Amphiphilic triblock copolymers of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)–poly(ethylene glycol)–poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB–PEG–PHB) were directly synthesized by the ring-opening copolymerization of β-butyrolactone monomer using PEG as macroinitiator. Their structure, thermal properties and crystallization were investigated by 1H NMR, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction. It was found that both PHB and PEG blocks were miscible. With the increase in the PHB block length, the triblock copolymers became amorphous because amorphous PHB block remarkably depressed the crystallization of the PEG block. Biodegradable nanoparticles with core-shell structure were prepared in aqueous solution from the amphiphilic triblock copolymers, and characterized by 1H NMR, SEM and fluorescence. The hydrophobic PHB segments formed the central solid-like core, and stabilized by the hydrophilic PEG block. The nanoparticle size was close related to the initial concentrations of the nanoparticle dispersions and the compositions of the triblock copolymers. Moreover, the PHB–PEG–PHB nanoparticles also showed good drug loading properties, which suggested that they were very suitable as delivery vehicles for hydrophobic drugs.