Oligoagarose‐Graft‐Polycaprolactone Copolymers: Synthesis and Characterization

In this paper, we combine hydrophilic oligoagarose (DP n  = 10–15), issued from enzymatic degradation of the natural biopolymer agarose, with polycaprolactone, a synthetic biodegradable and hydrophobic polyester. To synthesize these amphiphilic graft copolymers, we use partially acetylated oligoagarose as macroinitiator in combination with tin (II) octanoate for the bulk polymerization of ε ‐caprolactone. The grafting was confirmed by NMR and SEC which showed a monomodal distribution. After removal of the acetyl protecting groups, copolymers with 30–60% free hydroxyl groups were soluble in water and insoluble in chloroform, thus indicating that they probably adopt micelle‐like structures in aqueous solution with a PCL hydrophobic core and spherical oligoagarose side chains.