Methods of generating thermoresponsive poly saccharides and uses thereof

Abstract

Thermoresponsive polysaccharide-based materials with tunable transition temperatures regulating phase-separated microdomains are provided. The process attaches hydrophobic adducts to the backbone of hydrophilic dextran and gradually increases the hydrophobicity of the dextran chains to engineer phase separation. Conjugating methacrylate moieties to the dextran backbone yielded a continuous increase in macromolecular hydrophobicity that induced a reversible phase transition whose lower critical solution temperature can be modulated via variations in polysaccharide concentration, molecular weight, degree of methacrylation, ionic strength, surfactants, urea and Hofmeister salts. The phase separation is driven by increased hydrophobic interactions of methacrylate residues, where the addition of surfactants and urea can disassociate hydrophobic interactions and eliminates phase transition.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.