Ionically and Covalently Crosslinked Hydrogel Particles Based on Chitosan and Poly(ethylene glycol)
Self-assembled pH-sensitive reactive submicron-sized particles have been developed via intermolecular electrostatic interactions between chitosan and a carboxylated oligoperoxide having poly(ethylene glycol) fragments. The particles have the structure of an ionically crosslinked hydrogel and their size and surface charge depend on the conditions of their formation (i.e., pH and the functional group ratio). The presence of peroxide groups in the oligoperoxide has enabled to synthesize covalently crosslinked pH-sensitive particles.