Self‐Assembly of Amorphous 2D Polymer Nanodiscs with Tuneable Size, pH‐Responsive Degradation and Controlled Drug Release

Amphiphilic bottlebrush block copolymers (BBCs) with tadpole‐like, coil‐rod architecture can be used to self‐assemble into functional polymer nanodiscs directly in water. The hydrophobic segments of the BBC were tuned via the ratio of ethoxy‐ethyl glycidyl ether (EE) to tetrahydropyranyl glycidyl ether (TP) within the grafted polymer sidechains. In turn, this variation controlled the sizes, pH‐responsiveness, and drug loading capacity of the self‐assembled nanodiscs. Notably, as EE exhibited faster hydrolysis than TP, the nanodiscs featured variable degradation rates under mild acidic conditions, aiding small molecule release and time‐dependent and complete degradation of discs into fully water‐soluble copolymers. The nanodiscs demonstrated biocompatibility and cellular uptake by breast cancer cells, underscoring their potential development into drug delivery systems.