Crystalline particles from self-assembled divinyl oligomers

Ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) and/or triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) oligomers formation was catalyzed in aqueous medium by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in the presence of H2O2 at room temperature. EGDMA and/or TEGDMA oligomers were characterized by means of gel permeation chromatography, infrared vibrational spectroscopy and 1H NMR spectroscopy. Self-assembling of oligomers led to right-angled crystalline particles, as evidenced by scanning electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. EGDMA, TEGDMA and EGDMA-co-TEGDMA oligomers synthesized in the presence of HRP–H2O2 system presented pendant vinyl groups along the chains, good solubility in chloroform, and well-defined melting point. These features evidenced few cross-linking or cyclization and revealed that the catalytic properties of HRP led to oligomeric materials with new characteristics.