Effect of type and concentration of surfactants on swelling behavior of poly[<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]methacrylamide-co- <Emphasis Type="Italic">N,N</Emphasis>-methylenebis(acrylamide)] hydrogels

A series of thermosensitive hydrogels were prepared from N-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]methacrylamide (DMAPMA) monomer by using 11.6–17.8% (m/m) N,N-methylenebis(acrylamide) (MBAAm) as the crosslinker and comonomer in water. A kinetic study of the absorption determined the transport mechanism. The diffusion coefficients of these hydrogels were calculated for the Fickian mechanism. It was shown that the swelling behavior of the P(DMAPMA-co-MBAAm) hydrogels can be controlled by changing the amount of MBAAm. The swelling equilibrium of the P(DMAPMA-co-MBAAm) hydrogels was also investigated as a function of temperature in aqueous solutions of the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and the cationic surfactant dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB). In pure water, irrespective of the amount of MBAAm, the P(DMAPMA-co-MBAAm) hydrogels showed a discontinuous phase transition between 30 and 40 °C. However, the transition changed from discontinuous to continuous with the addition of surfactants, this is ascribed to the conversion of non-ionic P(DMAPMA-co-MBAAm) hydrogel into polyelectrolyte hydrogels due to binding of surfactants through the hydrophobic interaction. Additionally, the amount of free SDS and DTAB ions was measured at different temperatures by a conductometric method, it was found that the electric conductivity of the P(DMAPMA-co-MBAAm) – surfactant systems depended strongly on both the type and concentration of surfactant solutions.     

Synthesis and network structure of ionic poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide-co-acrylamide) hydrogels: Comparison of swelling degree with theory

At four different charge densities, ionic hydrogels based on N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAAm), acrylamide (AAm), and itaconic acid (IA) were synthesized by free-radical cross-linking copolymerization in water with N,N-methylenebis(acrylamide) (BAAm) as the cross-linker, ammonium persulfate (APS) as the initiator, and N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylenediamine (TEMED) as the activator. The swelling behaviors of these hydrogels were analyzed in buffer solutions at various pH. It was observed that the swelling behavior of cross-linked ionic poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide-co-acrylamide) [P(DMAAm-co-AAm)] hydrogels at different pHs agreed with the modified Flory-Rehner equation based both on the phantom network and affine network models and the ideal Donnan theory. In addition, the kinetics of swelling of the hydrogels was studied in pH 2, 5 and 9 buffer solutions. The swelling curves exhibited the characteristic features of transport process, apparently the Fickian diffusion of fast rates.     

Solution properties of hydrophobically modified acrylamide-based polysulfobetaines in the presence of surfactants

Polymer–surfactant interactions in aqueous solutions of a acrylamide-based, hydrophobically modified polysulfobetaine (ADS) containing 3-[N-(2-methacryloxylethyl)-N,N-dimethylammonio]-propane sulfonate and stearyl methylacrylate, with sodium dodedyl sulfate (SDS), N-dodecyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium bromide (DTAB), and Triton X-100 were studied using surface tension, rheology, Rayleigh light scattering, and dynamic laser light scattering techniques. The purpose of this study was to highlight the influences of the surfactant structure and the nature of the surfactant head group on the polymer–surfactant interactions. The results show that the interaction and association between ADS and surfactants are distinctly varied depending on surfactant type and surfactant concentration. SDS produced the strongest interactions with ADS, while DTAB and Triton X-100 interact with ADS to a lesser degree, which is attributed to surfactant structure and the nature of the surfactant head group. For SDS and DTAB, there are two driving forces for the complexation of the polymer and surfactants, resulting from the electrostatic interaction and the hydrophobic association. However, for the nonionic surfactant Triton X-100, only hydrophobic association predominated in the interaction between ADS and the surfactant. The mechanism and reconstruction of the polymer–surfactant complexes have been evaluated and discussed.     

Swelling behavior of poly{N‐[3‐(dimethylaminopropyl)] methacrylamide‐co‐acrylamide} hydrogels in aqueous solutions of surfactants

Temperature sensitive poly{N‐[3‐(dimethylaminopropyl)]methacrylamide‐co‐acrylamide} [P(DMAPMA‐co‐AAm)] hydrogels were prepared by the free‐radical crosslinking copolymerization of corresponding monomers in water with N,N‐methylenebisacrylamide as the crosslinker, ammonium persulfate as the initiator, and N,N,N′,N′‐tetramethylethylenediamine as the activator. The swelling equilibrium of the P(DMAPMA‐co‐AAm) hydrogels was investigated as a function of temperature in aqueous solutions of the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate and the cationic surfactant dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide. In pure water, regardless of the amount of N,N‐methylenebisacrylamide, the P(DMAPMA‐co‐AAm) hydrogels showed a discontinuous phase transition between 30 and 36 °C. However, the transition temperature changed from discontinuous to continuous with the addition of surfactants; this was ascribed to the conversion of nonionic P(DMAPMA‐co‐AAm) hydrogels into polyelectrolyte hydrogels due to the binding of surfactants through hydrophobic interactions. Additionally, the concentrations of free sodium dodecyl sulfate and dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide ions were measured at different temperatures by conductometry, and it was found that the electric conductivity of the P(DMAPMA‐co‐AAm)–surfactant systems depended strongly on the swelling ratio; most notably, it changed drastically near the phase‐transition temperature of the P(DMAPMA‐co‐AAm) hydrogel. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 1645–1652, 2006     

Swelling behavior of strong polyelectrolyte poly(N-t-butylacrylamide-co-acrylamide) hydrogels

Temperature-sensitive ionic hydrogels based on N-t-butylacrylamide (TBA), acrylamide (AAm), 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid sodium salt (AMPS) and N,N^′-methylenebis(acrylamide) (BAAm) monomers were prepared. The molar ratio of TBA to the monomers AAm and AMPS was fixed at 60/40, while the AMPS content of the hydrogels was varied. The elastic modulus of the hydrogels was in the range of 347-447 Pa, much lower than the modulus of PAAm or poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels due to the reduced crosslinking efficiency of BAAm in TBA/AAm copolymerization. The hydrogels exhibited swelling-deswelling transition in water depending on the temperature. Increasing ionic group (AMPS) content resulted in shifting of the transition temperature interval in which the deswelling takes place. The higher the ionic group content, the broader the temperature interval at the phase transition. Ionic hydrogels exhibited first-order reentrant conformational transitions in ethanol-water and in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO)-water mixtures. The higher the ionic group content of the hydrogels the narrower the ethanol (or DMSO) range in which the reentrant phenomena occur. By taking into account the difference of the solvent mixture composition inside and outside the gel, the equilibrium swelling theory provided a satisfactory agreement to the experimental swelling data of the hydrogels immersed in the solvent mixtures.     

The Synthesis of Hydrophobically Modified Water‐Soluble Polyzwitterionic Copolymers and Responsiveness to Surfactants in Aqueous Solution

Abstract

A novel zwitterionic surfactant monomer containing a carboxybetaine moiety and a 10 carbon aliphatic tail was synthesized and copolymerized with acrylamide to yield a water‐soluble, hydrophobically modified zwitterionic polymer [Poly(acrylamide‐co‐(3‐(N,N‐dimethyl‐N‐3′‐(N′‐acryloyl)aza‐tridecyl) ammonio butanoate))]. The response of aqueous polymer solutions to the addition of various classes of surfactant was investigated and compared to that of an analogous novel polymer containing the sulfobetaine zwitterion [Poly(acrylamide‐co‐(N,N‐dimethyl‐N‐3′‐(N′‐acryloyl) aza‐tridecyl) ammonio propane sulfonate))]. It was found that the addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) produced a pronounced maximum in viscosity, while dodecyltrimethylammoniumbromide (DTAB), N‐dodecyl‐N,N‐dimethylammonio‐1‐propanesulfonate (SB3‐12), and Triton X‐100 either had no effect, or produced a decrease in viscosity. The effect of pH on polymer–SDS interaction was also studied. Lowering pH increased the SDS–polymer interaction and significantly shifted viscosity enhancement to a higher SDS concentration.     

Radiation synthesis and characterization of poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate-co-N-vinyl 2-pyrrolidone) hydrogels

In this study, radiation synthesis and characterization of swelling behavior and network structure of poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA), and poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate-co-N-vinyl 2-pyrrolidone) (P(DMAEMA-co-VP)), hydrogels were investigated. PDMAEMA and P(DMAEMA-co-VP) hydrogels in the rod forms were prepared by irradiating the ternary mixtures of DMAEMA/VP/cross-linking agent, ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), by gamma rays at ambient temperature. In composition ranges where the three components were completely miscible, water was also added to the ternary mixture to provide the formation of homogeneous polymerization and gelation. The influence of irradiation dose, comonomer, VP, and cross-linking agent, EGDMA, content on the total percentage gelation and monomer conversion were investigated. The effect of pH and temperature on the swelling behavior of hydrogels have also been examined. Hydrogels showed typical pH response and temperature responses, such as low-pH and low temperature swelling and high-pH and high temperature deswelling. Polymer-solvent interaction parameter (χ) and enthalpy and entropy changes appearing in the χ parameter for the P(DMAEMA-co-VP)-water system were determined by using Flory-Rehner theory of swelling equilibrium. The negative values for ΔH and ΔS indicate that prepared pure PDMAEMA and P(DMAEMA-co-VP) hydrogels have lower critical solution temperature (LCST) and Flory-Rehner theory of swelling equilibrium provides a satisfactory agreement to the experimental swelling data of the hydrogels.     

Preparation of homogeneous polyacrylamide hydrogels by free-radical crosslinking copolymerization

Network microstructures of acrylamide (AAm)-based hydrogels were investigated by static and dynamic light scattering techniques. The hydrogels were prepared by free-radical crosslinking copolymerization of the monomers acrylamide (AAm), N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA) and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPA) with N,N′-methylenebis(acrylamide) as a crosslinker in aqueous solutions. It was observed that the addition of DMA or NIPA into the comonomer feed suppresses the extent of frozen concentration fluctuations in polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogels. The cooperative diffusion coefficient increases while both the static and dynamic correlation lengths decrease as the amount of DMA in the comonomer feed is increased. Formation of homogeneous PAAm hydrogels by introduction of hydrophobic moieties was explained as a result of the steric effect of the bulky side groups on DMA or NIPA segments.     

Thermodynamics of phase equilibrium for systems containing N-isopropyl acrylamide hydrogels

Hydrogels are crosslinked polymers of hydrophilic monomers. Hydrogels can swell and shrink in aqueous solutions. The swelling behavior of hydrogels and the encountered phase behavior are of interest in many areas, e.g., in biotechnology, membrane science and controlled drug release. This contribution presents the criteria for such phase equilibria and a previously developed thermodynamic model for correlating/predicting the swelling and shrinking of hydrogels. The application of the method is demonstrated by describing the swelling equilibrium of some synthetic, non-ionic N-isopropyl acrylamide (N-IPAAm) hydrogels in aqueous solutions of sodium chloride at 298 K. Furthermore, new experimental results are presented for the degree of swelling of synthetic hydrogels that contain – besides the non-ionic monomer N-IPAAm – either a combination of a cationic comonomer (here, N-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]methacrylamide (DMAPMA)) and an anionic comonomer (here, 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid (AMPS)) or a zwitterionic comonomer (here, [3-(methacryloylamino)propyl]dimethyl(3-sulfopropyl)ammonium hydroxide inner salt (MPSA)). These gels were equilibrated with aqueous solutions of sodium chloride at 298 K.     

Swelling behavior of ionically cross-linked polyampholytic hydrogels in varied salt solutions

Ionically cross-linked polyampholytic hydrogels were synthesized by redox copolymerization of acrylamide and an ionic complex of (N,N-diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate and acrylic acid (designated as PADA hydrogel). The swelling behavior of the hydrogels in water indicated that a minimal equilibrium swelling ratio is found when the molar ratio of anionic/cationic monomers was 1.55. In NaCl solution, the hydrogels exhibited the typical swelling behavior of conventional polyampholytic gels. Their equilibrium swelling ratios increased with an increase in the NaCl concentration. In solutions of multivalent ions (CaCl₂ and trisodium citrate solutions), the equilibrium swelling ratios of the hydrogels increased first and were then followed by a decrease with an increase in salt concentration. Interestingly, an unexpected abrupt swelling phenomenon was observed when the fully swollen hydrogels in salt solution were transmitted to pure water. The unique swelling behavior of PADA hydrogels depends not only on the molar ratio of the anionic/cationic monomers but also on the valency of the ions.     

Fast responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels prepared in phenol aqueous solutions

Fast responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) hydrogels with improved properties were prepared in phenol aqueous solutions with different concentrations. Due to the expanded network structure in water, the resulted hydrogels are capable of absorbing a large amount of water, i.e. exhibits a much increased swelling ratio at room temperature. Importantly, the hydrogels demonstrated much faster response rate than that of traditional PNIPAAm hydrogel upon external temperature increase.     

疏水改性智能水凝胶P(NIPA-co-DiAB)的合成及其温敏行为

以N-异丙基丙烯酰胺(NIPA)和N,N-双烯丙基苄胺(DiAB)为共聚单体、N,N-亚甲基双丙烯酰胺(BIS)为交联剂、十二烷基硫酸钠(SDS)为表面活性剂、过硫酸铵(APS)-四甲基乙二胺(TMEDA)为氧化还原引发体系,采用自由胶束交联共聚法合成了疏水基团为芳香基的疏水改性温敏性智能水凝胶P(NIPA-co-DiAB)。研究了DiAB摩尔分数(x(DiAB))对水凝胶溶胀性能的影响。 在初始溶胀阶段,随着x(DiAB)由0增大至3%,P(NIPA-co-DiAB)水凝胶的溶胀行为由Fickian扩散转变为non-Fickian扩散。x(DiAB)分别为0、1%、2%和3%时,P(NIPA-co-DiAB)水凝胶的平衡溶胀率SR0在蒸馏水中分别为63.6、93.5、141.6和167.4,在0.01 mol/L SDS溶液中分别为63.1、71.0、59.0和77.5,在CTAB溶液中分别为37.6、42.2、44.1和60.0,在Triton X-100溶液中分别为30.9、49.4、68.5和88.3。 结果表明,P(NIPA-co-DiAB)水凝胶的(SR0)大于PNIPA水凝胶,且在蒸馏中比在0.01 mol/L表面活性剂溶液中要大。 加入0.01 mol/L Triton X-100、CTAB或SDS后,PNIPA水凝胶的体积相变温度或较低临界溶解温度(LCST)由32.5 ℃分别增加至35.4、45.6和80 ℃。P(NIPA-co-DiAB)水凝胶的LCST由32.0～32.5 ℃分别增加至34.7～35.6 ℃、45.8~46.2 ℃和80 ℃。 加入表面活性剂能增加P(NIPA-co-DiAB)水凝胶的体积相变温度,高的体积相变温度与DiAB含量无关。     

Synthesis and characterization of thermoresponsive isopropylacrylamide-acrylamide hydrogels

In this study, hydrogels of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylamide) having a thermoresponsive character were prepared by a redox polymerization method. NIPAM-co-AAm hydrogels with different thermoresponsive properties were obtained by changing the initial NIPAM/AAm mole ratio and crosslinker concentration.Equilibrium-swelling ratio, dynamic swelling ratio and dynamic deswelling ratio were evaluated for all hydrogel systems. The fast shrinking was observed with all gels. The time required for equilibrium shrinking increased with the increase of acrylamide content in the gel.     

Glucose-sensitive hydrogel systems

The effect of concanavalin A on the structure of polymer hydrogels prepared via the free-radical copolymerization of acrylamide, N-(2-D-glucos)acrylamide, and N,N′-methylene-bis(acrylamide) is studied. When complexed with N-(2-D-glucos)acrylamide, concanavalin A is involved in copolymerization as a macromolecular crosslinking agent. This circumstance ensures a decrease of the degree of swelling of hydrogels in aqueous solutions with an increase in the concentration of concanavalin A in the initial monomer mixture. After the addition of glucose to an aqueous solution, the complex of concanavalin A with units of N-(2-D-glucos)acrylamide in the crosslinked copolymer dissociates and the degree of swelling of hydrogels increases considerably. Dissociation of the complex occurs at a strictly specified concentration of glucose in the solution that depend on the content of N-(2-D-glucos)acrylamide units in the copolymer. This phenomenon can be used for the controlled release of insulin previously introduced into the hydrogel through a change in the concentration of glucose in the solution.     

Swelling and water transport in temperature-sensitive hydrogels based on 2-methoxyethylacrylate

A series of thermoresponsive hydrogels based on copolymers of 2-methoxyethylacrylate with acrylamide or N,N-dimethylacrylamide were prepared by radiation-induced polymerization in dimethylformamide solution in the presence of a crosslinking agent. The swelling behaviour of the hydrogels was studied by immersing the polymer samples in water at 5°C, 10°C and 37°C. The data were found to satisfactorily fit Fick's law with a constant diffusion coefficient. The results indicate that the swelling ratio increases with increasing the content of the hydrophilic monomers in the hydrogels and at the same time the equilibrium swelling time decreases. The effect of temperature on water transport mechanism was observed.     

An enhanced immobilization of BSA biomolecule on anionic hydrogels: swelling and adsorption modeling

The three-dimensional structure of hydrogels plays a leading role in several areas of applications. The hydrogels are more and more used as systems of immobilized and controlled release of biomolecules in biotechnology and bio-pharmacy industries. To improve protein adsorption capacity in poly(acrylamide) hydrogels, maleic acid co-monomer was included into the reaction mixture during hydrogel synthesis. So, hydrogels of poly(acrylamide) and its copolymers with diprotic maleic acid were prepared by copolymerization and chemical crosslinking with N,N′-methylene bis-acrylamide. Swelling behavior in distilled water, in physiological saline and in bovine serum albumin (BSA) solutions was studied. Influence of initial BSA concentration on hydrogel swelling and BSA adsorption was investigated. The high amount of maleic acid present in the hydrogels has a significant effect on the swelling behavior and BSA adsorption. Results showed that the pH sensitivity of hydrogels resulted in the high amount of adsorbed BSA. The adsorption isotherms were described by Langmuir and Freundlich models. The thermodynamic parameter (ΔG _ads ⁰ ) was determined for all obtained hydrogels. We demonstrated the favorable character and reversibility of the BSA adsorption process.     

RADIATION INDUCED ACRYLAMIDE/CITRIC ACID HYDROGELS AND THEIR SWELLING BEHAVIORS

Citric acid (CAc) moieties containing acrylamide (AAm) hydrogels were prepared by gamma irradiation of their aqueous solutions. A possible polymerization and crosslinking mechanism for acrylamide/citric acid (AAm/CAc) hydrogels is proposed. The effects of irradiation dose and citric acid content on swelling behavior were investigated. Swelling took place in water at 25°C and was followed gravimetrically. Incorporation of a relatively low amount of citric acid to acrylamide hydrogel increased its swelling up to 950% from 700%. The diffusion of water into AAm/CAc hydrogels was found to be a non-Fickian type. Diffusion coefficients of AAm/CAc hydrogels found as 5 × 10^?7? 10 × 10^?7 cm² sec^?1. It has also been found that the number average molar mass between crosslinks is increased with the CAc content and decreased with irradiation dose.     

Effect of chemical structure on the properties of some hydrogels prepared by using gamma radiation polymerization

Several hydrogels were prepared using radiolytic polymerization of aqueous solutions of acrylamide or acrylamide containing appropriate comonomer such as acrylic acid, maleic acid, itaconic acid, and maleic anhydride. The hydrogels have been prepared at an irradiation dose of 30 kGy. The effects of the chemical structure of the monomer(s) and crosslinking agents on the yield of homopolymer(s) or copolymers have been studied. These crosslinking agents include N, N′‐methylene dimethacrylate (MDA) and N, N′‐methylene bisallyamide (MBA). The hydrogels obtained were characterized using swelling technique, thermal and spectroscopic analysis. The results obtained showed that the prepared samples are able to reject sodium ions and are not able to recover the Basic Blue Dye from their aqueous solution. © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis, characterization and thermoreversible behaviours of poly(dimethyl siloxane)/poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) semi-interpenetrating networks

Simultaneous and sequential poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAAm)/poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) with different linear PDMS contents were prepared by free radical polymerization method. Their phase morphologies have been characterized by FTIR, DSC and SEM. The simultaneous semi-IPNs exhibited phase transition temperatures (T_pt) shifted higher temperature from glass transition temperatures (T_g) of their respective homopolymers, suggesting a heterophase morphology and only physical entanglement between the PNIPAAm network and linear PDMS with high molecular weight (Mn≈9000 g/mol). For sequential semi-IPNs, the shift of T_pts towards lower temperature suggested that the chemical interaction between the constituents of the IPNs increased with increasing PDMS content in the network. In addition, these semi-IPNs were characterized for their thermo-sensitive behaviour by equilibrium swelling studies. The results showed that incorporation of hydrophobic PDMS polymer into the thermo- and pH-sensitive PNIPAAm and P(NIPAAm-co-IA) (itaconic acid) hydrogels by semi-IPN formation decreased swelling degrees of IPNs without affecting their LCSTs whereas addition of acrylated PDMS (Tegomer V-Si 2250) as crosslinker instead of N,N^′-methylenebisacrylamide (BIS) into the structures of these hydrogels changed their LCSTs along with their swelling degrees.     

Adsorption of Apollo reactive dyes on poly(N,N dimethylamino ethylmethacrylate) hydrogels

Poly(N,N-dimethylamino ethylmethacrylate) [P(DMAEMA)] hydrogels were prepared by irradiating the ternary mixtures of dimethylamino ethylmethacrylate (DMAEMA)/ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA)/water (H₂O) by γ-rays at ambient temperature. The swelling of four types of DMAEMA hydrogels in distilled water is higher than the swelling of these hydrogels in dye solutions. The value of equilibrium swelling of P(DMAEMA)1 hydrogel was 338% at pH 7.0 in distilled water, while it was 325% and 326% at pH 7.0 in Apollofix Red (AR) and Apollofix Yellow (AY) solutions, respectively. The adsorption capacity of P(DMAEMA)1 hydrogel was found to increase from 85 to 131 mg for AR g⁻¹ dry gel and from 58 to 111 mg for AY g⁻¹ dry gel with decreasing pH of the dye solutions.