Acid-Triggered, Acid-Generating, And Self-Amplifying Degradable Polymers

We describe the 3-iodopropyl acetal moiety as a simple cleavable unit that undergoes acid catalyzed hydrolysis to liberate HI (pK(a) similar to -10) and acrolein stoichiometrically. Integrating this unit into linear and network polymers gives a class of macromolecules that undergo a new mechanism of degradation with an acid amplified, sigmoidal rate. This trigger-responsive self amplified degradable polymer undergoes accelerated rate of degradation and agent release.