β‐Cyclodextrin‐Based Star Amphiphilic Copolymers: Synthesis, Characterization, and Evaluation as Artificial Channels

14‐arm amphiphilic star copolymers are synthesized according to different strategies. First, the anionic ring polymerization of 1,2‐butylene oxide (BO) initiated by per(2‐O‐methyl‐3,6‐di‐O‐(3‐hydroxypropyl))‐β‐CD (β‐CD’OH 14 ) and catalyzed by t‐BuP 4 in DMF is investigated. Analyses by NMR and SEC show the well‐defined structure of the star β‐CD’‐PBO 14 . To obtain a 14‐arm poly(butylene oxide‐ b ‐ethylene oxide) star, a Huisgen cycloaddition between an α‐methoxy‐ω‐azidopoly(ethylene oxide) and the β‐CD’‐PBO 14 ,whose end‐chains are beforehand alkyne‐functionalized, is performed. In parallel, 14‐arm star copolymers composed of butylene oxide‐ b ‐glycidol arms are successfully synthesized by the anionic polymerization of ethoxyethylglycidyl ether (EEGE) initiated by β‐CD’‐PBO 14 with t‐BuP 4 . The deprotection of EEGE units is then performed to provide the polyglycidol blocks. These amphiphilic star polymers are evaluated as artificial channels in lipid bilayers. The effect of changing a PEO block by a polyglycidol block on the insertion properties of these artificial channels is discussed.