The versatility of 2-oxaz(ol)ine-co-lipoic acid polymers: Novel bioinspired adhesives, drug-delivery systems and 3D printable hydrogels and bioinks

• Applicant: Jean Maurice Pütz
• Subject Area: Preparatory and Physical Chemistry of Polymers ; Biomaterials
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 540453780

The aim of this project is to contribute to the urgent need for modern functional and sustainable materials via the development of new bio-based, biocompatible and 3D-printable polymers. The lipoic acid - oxaz(ol)ine copolymers developed in the course of this project are intended to serve as a novel future platform for biocompatible adhesives and hydrogel formation with special interest in the design of high-precision scaffolds for application in drug delivery systems and (self-healing) tissue engineering. Lipoic acid has been selected as a high-potential candidate for its’ inexpensiveness, widespread availability, bio-based origin, flexible polymerization conditions and self-healing material property. The development of this project builds upon the host laboratories, Prof. Luxenhofer, expertise in the field of medicinal polymer chemistry in combination with 3D printing. The host laboratories established polymers (modified poly(2-substituted-oxazoline) and poly(2-substituted-oxazine)) are well-tunable in their hydrophilicity and will form the backbone to which lipoic acid will be conjugated. In cooperation with Prof. Luxenhofer I will use the resulting amphiphilic block copolymer in the high-precision 3D printing melt electro-writing process to generate high resolution microfibers, which will be immediately cured through activation of the disulfide based crosslinking process by heat or UV-irradiation. This crosslinking method, which has been established for lipoic acid-based polymers only on a rudimental level to date, simultaneously provides access to intriguing material properties. The manufactured novel material will then be investigated in regards to its’ mechanical properties, hydrogel formation and self-healing ability. Further investigations will additionally lead towards studying the novel materials suitability for bio-ink formulation for possible future application in tissue engineering. Lastly, a primarily hydrophobic derivative of the novel material will be synthesized and its’ applicability as an adhesive will be explored.

• DFG Programme: WBP Fellowship
• International Connection: Finland
• Host: Professor Dr. Robert Luxenhofer