Modular Synthesis of Biodegradable Diblock Copolymers for Designing Functional Polymersomes

Polymeric vesicles, or polymersomes, constitute a relatively new class of materials based on the self-assembly of amphiphilic block copolymers.1 Polymersomes offer several distinct advantages over liposomes, including increased mechanical robustness, the ability to solubilize large quantities of hydrophobic and hydrophilic molecules, and typically a complete poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) surface functionality, offering a stealth character in vivo. Polymer-somes are useful in a range of applications, including drug delivery, in vivo imaging, and use as cell mimetics.2-6 The majority of application-based research has focused on systems using existing diblock polymers. However, new synthetic routes that introduce additional functionality may be beneficial for other applications or increasing the polymersome efficacy.7 We present here a novel synthetic route that utilizes modular construction of biodegradable block polymers, allowing for the incorporation of a wide variet