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Temperature-responsive polymers: Synthesis, properties, and biomedical applications

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Abstract

Interest in temperature-responsive polymers has steadily grown over the past several decades, and numerous studies have been dedicated to developing temperature sensitive polymers that can be constructed into new smart materials for biomedical applications. Phase behavior of a temperature-responsive polymer plays a pivotal role in determining its biological performance in certain conditions. In addition to the additives (such as salts and proteins) in aqueous solutions, molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, and structural or compositional factors can also significantly affect the transition temperatures of the polymers. This review comprehensively describes well-established and newly developed synthetic strategies for preparing temperature-responsive polymers. The structural and compositional parameters that affect the transition temperatures and self-assembly behavior are discussed. Finally, the biomedical applications of the temperature-responsive polymers in drug delivery, immunotherapy, tissue engineering, and diagnosis are summarized.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 21374026 and 51573032), the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (No. 51725302), Science Fund for Creative Research Groups of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 11621505), CAS Key Research Program for Frontier Sciences (No. QYZDJ-SSW-SLH022), Key Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Cooperation with Foreign Enterprises (No. GJHZ1541), and CAS Interdisciplinary Innovation Team.

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  1. CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), Beijing, 100190, China

    Shenglin Qiao & Hao Wang

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), Beijing, 100049, China

    Shenglin Qiao & Hao Wang

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  1. Shenglin Qiao
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  2. Hao Wang
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Correspondence to Hao Wang.

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Qiao, S., Wang, H. Temperature-responsive polymers: Synthesis, properties, and biomedical applications. Nano Res. 11, 5400–5423 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-018-2121-x

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