Preparation of polyoligo(ethyleneglycol) methacrylate decorated with pendant cholesterol moieties: Hydrogel and mesoglobule preparation and their use for entrapping lipophilic nanomaterials

A long (oligoethyleneglycol) methacrylate and cholesteryl acrylate were polymerized together using two different free-radical polymerization conditions. A surfactant- and cross-linker-free emulsion polymerization afforded a white opaque hydrogel. By contrast, a polymerization performed in the presence of AIBN led to the formation of large water-soluble mesoglobules of associated polymer micelles that were stable at room temperature. Both of these materials were characterized by 1H NMR and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopies, and the morphology of the hydrogel was also observed by SEM. The swelling ratio of the gel was measured in water, and the fluorescence probing of the mesoglobules and the capacity for entrapping hydrophobic nanomaterials were studied using magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles.