β-Cyclodextrin-Based Star Amphiphilic Copolymers: Synthesis, Characterization, and Evaluation as Artificial Channels

International audience14‐arm amphiphilic star copolymers are synthesized according to different strategies. First, the anionic ring polymerization of 1,2‐butylene oxide (BO) initiated by per(2‐O‐methyl‐3,6‐di‐O‐(3‐hydroxypropyl))‐β‐CD (β‐CD’OH14) and catalyzed by t‐BuP4 in DMF is investigated. Analyses by NMR and SEC show the well‐defined structure of the star β‐CD’‐PBO14. To obtain a 14‐arm poly(butylene oxide‐b‐ethylene oxide) star, a Huisgen cycloaddition between an α‐methoxy‐ω‐azidopoly(ethylene oxide) and the β‐CD’‐PBO14,whose end‐chains are beforehand alkyne‐functionalized, is performed. In parallel, 14‐arm star copolymers composed of butylene oxide‐b‐glycidol arms are successfully synthesized by the anionic polymerization of ethoxyethylglycidyl ether (EEGE) initiated by β‐CD’‐PBO14 with t‐BuP4. The deprotection of EEGE units is then performed to provide the polyglycidol blocks. These amphiphilic star polymers are evaluated as artificial channels in lipid bilayers. The effect of changing a PEO block by a polyglycidol block on the insertion properties of these artificial channels is discussed