A thermosensitive hydrogel based on biodegradable amphiphilic poly(ethylene glycol)–polycaprolactone–poly(ethylene glycol) block copolymers

A series of low molecular weight poly(ethylene glycol)–polycaprolactone–poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG–PCL–PEG) biodegradable block copolymers were successfully synthesized using isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) as the coupling agent, and were characterized using 1H NMR and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The aqueous solutions of the PEG–PCL–PEG copolymers displayed a special thermosensitive gel–sol transition when the concentration was above the corresponding critical gel concentration. Gel–sol phase diagrams were recorded using the test-tube-inversion method; they depended on the hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance in the macromolecular structure, as well as some other factors, including the heating history, volume, and the ageing time of the copolymer aqueous solutions and dissolution temperature of the copolymers. As a result, the gel–sol transition temperature range could be altered, which might be very useful for application in injectable drug delivery systems.