ORGS1-0934
Revisiting PEG Oxidation Chemistry for the Design of Oxygen-Scavenging Nano- and Microgels
Topic
GS1. Graduate Student Oral Session I: Colloidal and Interfacial Polymer Science
When and Where
Sep 28, 2026
15:12 - 15:24
Room 101
Session Chairs
Yoon-Ho HWANG
Jang-Hwan KIM
Hyosung AN
Presenter(s)
Uijung Hwang (Seoul national university)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is widely used in biomedical engineering and soft materials. Its oxidative degradation has been studied extensively, and recent analytical advances, including MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, have clarified PEG oxidation products and degradation pathways. However, thermally or chemically labile species may be lost or underestimated during sample preparation, ionization, or high-temperature analysis.
In this study, we identified PEG-derived peracid species, which have not previously been reported as PEG oxidation products. We further used this oxidation chemistry as a design principle for PEG nano- and microgels capable of scavenging oxygen.
In the first part of the presentation, I will discuss the formation mechanism of peracids during PEG oxidation under oxygen-containing conditions, focusing on how this pathway is coupled to oxygen concentration. In the second part, I will present PEG nano- and microgels in which peracid groups are introduced as dangling chains within a crosslinked polymer network. Under mild, near-physiological conditions, the peroxide bond undergoes homolytic cleavage and serves as a radical source. The resulting hydroxyl radicals preferentially react with PEG chains inside the gel through rapid hydrogen atom transfer, inducing a cascade of oxygen-consuming reactions.
This approach harnesses radical reactivity for oxygen removal while confining the reaction mainly within the PEG gel network, potentially limiting oxidative effects on the surrounding environment. Unlike conventional oxygen-control hydrogels, which often rely on enzyme-based reactions, this work presents a fully synthetic oxygen-scavenging platform based on PEG oxidation chemistry. This strategy establishes PEG nano- and microgels as reactive polymer particles for local oxygen regulation.
In this study, we identified PEG-derived peracid species, which have not previously been reported as PEG oxidation products. We further used this oxidation chemistry as a design principle for PEG nano- and microgels capable of scavenging oxygen.
In the first part of the presentation, I will discuss the formation mechanism of peracids during PEG oxidation under oxygen-containing conditions, focusing on how this pathway is coupled to oxygen concentration. In the second part, I will present PEG nano- and microgels in which peracid groups are introduced as dangling chains within a crosslinked polymer network. Under mild, near-physiological conditions, the peroxide bond undergoes homolytic cleavage and serves as a radical source. The resulting hydroxyl radicals preferentially react with PEG chains inside the gel through rapid hydrogen atom transfer, inducing a cascade of oxygen-consuming reactions.
This approach harnesses radical reactivity for oxygen removal while confining the reaction mainly within the PEG gel network, potentially limiting oxidative effects on the surrounding environment. Unlike conventional oxygen-control hydrogels, which often rely on enzyme-based reactions, this work presents a fully synthetic oxygen-scavenging platform based on PEG oxidation chemistry. This strategy establishes PEG nano- and microgels as reactive polymer particles for local oxygen regulation.
