Positioned between ultra‑fast‑eroding 2 kDa grades and stiffer higher‑molecular‑weight variants, this 3 kDa maleimide‑terminated poly(ε‑caprolactone) strikes a practical balance between solvent processability and material crystallinity. Its terminal maleimide functional group enables Michael‑addition coupling toward cysteine‑bearing peptides, antibody fragments and small‑molecule ligands, yielding stable thioether linkages under mild aqueous‑organic mixed‑phase environments. Compared with MW 2 K, increased chain length slows hydrolytic erosion, extending material persistence from short‑term transient assays toward multi‑week experimental windows while still avoiding the rigid, slow‑degrading behaviour of high‑MW PCL. Material designers frequently adopt this reactive polyester to build functionalized nanoparticle libraries, tune surface ligand densities, and generate polymer‑biomolecule conjugates suited for intermediate‑duration cell‑culture and preliminary in‑vivo model evaluation.
Key Features: ‑ Intermediate‑length PCL backbone terminally functionalized with maleimide; optimized for mixed organic‑aqueous bioconjugation workflows where pure aqueous conditions cannot be applied ‑ Moderately elevated crystallinity relative to MW 2 K, retaining good dissolution profile in DCM, chloroform and THF, yet producing more dimension‑stable colloidal particles after nanoprecipitation ‑ Tunable intermediate hydrolytic erosion rate; material persists over multi‑week study timelines without forming long‑lived polymeric residuals ‑ Well‑behaved thiol‑selective reactivity within pH 6.0‑7.2 operational window; minimises off‑target amine cross‑reaction for peptide and protein labelling ‑ Reliable end‑group conversion validated via NMR spectroscopy; controlled residual impurity levels fit for cell‑based screening and pre‑in‑vivo prototype testing
Applications: ‑ Intermediate‑persistence maleimide‑decorated micelles and nanoparticles for multi‑week cellular uptake and drug‑release profiling ‑ Surface ligand engineering of pre‑formed polymer substrates, adjusting cysteine‑peptide coverage for cell‑adhesion phenotypic assays ‑ Construction of polymer‑protein conjugates intended for intermediate‑term biological observation, sitting between transient 2 K constructs and long‑circulating high‑MW analogues ‑ Bench‑top formulation screening to bridge fast‑degrading low‑MW and mechanically robust high‑MW PCL‑maleimide material series ‑ Prototyping surface‑functionalised thin polymer coatings for in‑vitro tissue‑mimic culture platforms
Handling & Storage: Store solid polymer at −20 °C under dry inert gas and shield samples from ambient light; maleimide moieties readily undergo ring‑opening hydrolysis upon moisture exposure. Allow sealed vials to fully equilibrate inside a desiccator before opening to suppress water condensation onto polymer powder. Prepare working solutions immediately before experimental use, exclusively using anhydrous thiol‑free organic solvents; do not store pre‑dissolved polymer stock solutions over multiple days. This product is for laboratory research purposes only and has not obtained clearance for human clinical usage.
AxisPharm offers 5000+ PEG Linkers with high purity. Different kinds of PEG Reagents may be available by custom synthesis.