Amphiphilic random and diblock thermoresponsive oligo(ethylene glycol)-based (co)polymers were synthesized via photoiniferter polymerization under visible light using trithiocarbonate as a chain transfer agent. The effect of solvent, light intensity and wavelength on the rate of the process was investigated. It was shown that blue and green LED light could initiate RAFT polymerization of macromonomers without an exogenous initiator at room temperature, giving bottlebrush polymers with low dispersity at sufficiently high conversions achieved in 1–2 h. The pseudo-living mechanism of polymerization and high chain-end fidelity were confirmed by successful chain extension. Thermoresponsive properties of the copolymers in aqueous solutions were studied via turbidimetry and laser light scattering. Random copolymers of methoxy- and alkoxy oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylates of a specified length formed unimolecular micelles in water with a hydrophobic core consisting of a polymer backbone and alkyl groups and a hydrophilic oligo(ethylene glycol) shell. In contrast, the diblock copolymer formed huge multimolecular micelles.

The two-dimensional classification was applied to the estimation of hydrophilic–hydrophobic properties of four amine-containing (meth)acrylic monomers, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and four oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylates of various degrees of the ethoxylation. For the monomers, the standard free energy of partition between water and organic phase and standard free energy of adsorption of monomers at the interface were determined in hexane/water systems. Based on the standard free energy of partition and standard free energy of adsorption amphiphilic properties of the monomers were evaluated in terms of the two-dimensional diagram. The monomers were divided into three groups with respect to the position of the monomers in the diagram. These positions are connected with the nature of the substances. The classification allows estimating of monomers partition between interfaces or bulk phases in systems with developed interfaces.

Preliminary protection of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) with terpenoids such as betulin, its derivatives, and essential oils components has been proposed to produce gel-like oleophilic and hydrophilic formulations. We studied the properties of gel-like dispersions of ZnO NPs with immobilized terpenoids and their effects on the activity of LDH, GR, G6PDH, restoration of redox balance of co-enzyme pairs NAD+/NADH and NADP+/NADPH, as well as the activity of SOD, catalase, AlDH in erythrocytes in the treatment of burns in rats. Hysteresis loops on the rheograms of studied dispersions characterize their thixotropic properties. ZnO NPs with betulin diphosphate in the water–ethanol medium lead to a 20-fold increase in the hydrodynamic radius at pH 7.3 compared to the initial ZnO NPs, and facilitate the formation of Zn²⁺ ions and their penetration into the viable epidermis, unlike oleophilic dispersions. All dispersions reduce the healing time by one and a half times compared with the untreated control group, increase the activity of LDH, GR, G6PDH, SOD, catalase, AlDH, and contribute to the normalization of coenzyme balance. Normalization of the redox balance and wound state was more effective using hydrophilic dispersions due to Zn^{2 +} penetration.

Polymethacrylic molecular brushes with oligo(ethylene glycol)-block-oligo(propylene glycol) side chains were investigated by static and dynamic light scattering and viscometry. The solvents used were acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, chloroform, and water. The grafted copolymers were molecularly dispersed and dissolved in tetrahydrofuran and acetonitrile. In these solvents, the molar masses of copolymers were determined. In thermodynamically good solvents, namely tetrahydrofuran and acetonitrile, investigated copolymers have a high intramolecular density and the shape of their molecules resembles a star-shaped macromolecule. In chloroform and water, the micelle-like aggregates were formed. Critical micelle concentrations decreased with the lengthening of the hydrophobic block. Molecular brushes demonstrated thermosensitive behavior in aqueous solutions. The phase separation temperatures reduced with an increase in the content of the oligo(propylene glycol) block.

The thermo- and pH-responsive polymer brushes based on methoxy[oligo(propyleneglycol)₈-block-oligo(ethyleneglycol)₈]methacrylate with different concentrations of N-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]methacrylamide (from 0% to 20%) were synthesized via RAFT polymerization. The “grafting-through” approach was used to prepare the low-molar-mass dispersion samples (M_w/M_n ≈ 1.3). Molar masses and hydrodynamic characteristics were obtained using static and dynamic light scattering and viscometry. The solvents used were acetonitrile, DMFA, and water. The molar masses of the prepared samples ranged from 40,000 to 60,000 g·mol^–1. The macromolecules of these polymer brushes were modeled using a prolate revolution ellipsoid or a cylinder with spherical ends. In water, micelle-like aggregates were formed. Critical micelle concentrations decreased with the content of N-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]methacrylamide. Molecular brushes demonstrated thermo- and pH-responsiveness in water–salt solutions. It was shown that at a given molecular mass and at close pH values, the increase in the number of N-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]methacrylamide units led to an increase in phase separation temperatures.