Description
General Description
8-Arm PEG Maleimide (8-arm PEG Mal) is a multifunctional PEG crosslinker designed for the preparation of highly crosslinked hydrogels and advanced biomaterials. The eight-arm architecture provides a high density of maleimide groups, enabling rapid and efficient conjugation with thiol-containing peptides, proteins, antibodies, enzymes, polymers, and biomaterials.
The terminal maleimide groups react rapidly and selectively with sulfhydryl (thiol) groups at physiological pH, forming stable thioether bonds without the need for harsh reaction conditions. This highly efficient thiol-maleimide chemistry makes 8-Arm PEG Maleimide an excellent crosslinker for injectable hydrogels, bioactive scaffolds, cell encapsulation, and controlled drug delivery systems.
The PEG backbone provides excellent water solubility, flexibility, and biocompatibility while minimizing nonspecific protein adsorption. Compared with linear PEG derivatives, the eight-arm architecture provides higher crosslinking density, faster gelation, and improved mechanical properties.
Applications
- Hydrogel synthesis
- Thiol-maleimide crosslinking
- Protein conjugation
- Peptide conjugation
- Antibody conjugation
- Cell encapsulation
- Tissue engineering
- Drug delivery systems
- Regenerative medicine
- Biomaterials research
Features and Benefits
- Eight terminal maleimide groups
- Highly selective thiol conjugation
- Forms stable thioether bonds
- Rapid gelation
- High crosslinking density
- Excellent water solubility
- Excellent biocompatibility
- Low protein adsorption
- Ideal for injectable hydrogels
