Novel thermogelling poly(ɛ-caprolactone- co-lactide)–poly(ethylene glycol)–poly(ɛ-caprolactone- co-lactide) aqueous solutions

The aqueous solutions of poly(ɛ-caprolactone- co-lactide)–poly(ethylene glycol)poly(ɛ-caprolactone- co-lactide) undergoing sol–gel transition as the temperature increases from 20 to 50 °C were successfully prepared. The thermogelling triblock copolymers were synthesized by subtle tuning of the chemical composition and the hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity balance. The sol–gel transition was studied focusing on structure–property relationship. The amphiphilic copolymer formed micelles in aqueous solutions. It is believed to have potential applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering.