Prepation of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-grafted silica gel and its temperature-dependent interaction with proteins

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) oligomer was immobilized onto a silica gel surface. The gel adsorbed a hydrophobic protein γ-globulin (IgG) at 37°C, however, did not adsorb IgG at 24°C. The adsorbed IgG at 37°C was adsorbed by lowering the temperatue, No adsorption of a hydrophilic protein bovin serum albumin (BSA) onto this matrix was observed at 37°C nor 24°C.     

Effect of Pore-Forming Agent Type on Swelling Properties of Macroporous Poly(N-[3-(dimethylaminopropyl)]-methacrylamide-co-acrylamide) Hydrogels

Macroporous poly(N-[3-(dimethylaminopropyl)]methacrylamide-co-acrylamide) [P(DMAPMA-co-AAm)] hydrogels were prepared by free-radical crosslinking copolymerization of corresponding monomers in water using two different pore-forming agents such as hydroxypropyl celluose (HPC) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). The effect of these pore-forming agents on the volume phase transition temperature (VPT-T), interior morphology and swelling/deswelling kinetics of the P(DMAPMA-co-AAm) hydrogels was investigated. Scanning electron micrographs revealed that the interior network structure of the hydrogel matrix became more porous due to the presence of HPC or PEG pore-forming agents. The more porous matrix provided numerous water channels for water diffusion in or out of the matrix and, therefore, an improved response rate to the external stimuli. Particularly, due to its unique macroporous structure, the PEG-modified hydrogel showed a tremendously faster response to the external temperature changes during deswelling process and the swelling process at 22°C.     

A novel method to prepare temperature/pH‐sensitive poly(N,N‐diethylacrylamide‐co‐acrylic acid) hydrogels with rapid swelling/deswelling behaviors

Fast responsive temperature‐ and pH‐sensitive hydrogels of poly(N,N‐diethylacrylamide‐co‐acrylic acid) (P(DEA‐co‐AA)) have been synthesized successfully by a two‐step procedure, in which the initial polymerization was conducted at constant temperature for 15 min, followed by further polymerization at ?30°C for 12 hr. Swelling studies showed that hydrogels thus prepared had almost the same temperature and pH sensitivity compared with the conventional ones (polymerized at 24°C for 12 hr). However, hydrogels thus prepared had faster swelling/deswelling rates in distilled water than the conventional ones, and their deswelling rates in low pH buffer solutions were also faster than the conventional ones. These improved properties were attributed to the porous network structure, which was confirmed by the results of scanning electron microscopy. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thermoresponsive properties of porous poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels prepared in the presence of nanosized silica particles and subsequent acid treatment

Porous poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels were prepared by the free‐radical polymerization of its monomer and a suitable crosslinker in the presence of spherical silica particles of different sizes (74 and 1600 nm) and by the subsequent acid extraction of silica. The yields were 81–83%, and the yields were not affected by the silica content. Scanning electron microscopy observations revealed the porous structure of the hydrogels. Porous and nonporous hydrogels showed volume phase transitions from swelling states to deswelling states at approximately 30 °C, as analyzed by the ratio of the diameter of cylinder‐shaped hydrogels to that of the glass tube used for the hydrogel preparation at the corresponding temperature. Deswelling, which was analyzed by rapid changes in the temperature of the aqueous media from 20 to 40 °C, was facilitated by decreased silica particle size and increased silica content. The deswelling rate constant of the hydrogel prepared with 74‐nm silica at 10 v/v % (silica/solvent) was more than 1500 times greater than that of conventional hydrogels. Swelling was similarly analyzed through changes in the temperature from 40 to 20 °C and was independent of the pore structure. The deswelling–swelling cycle was repeatable with reasonable reproducibility. Moreover, the mechanical strength of the porous hydrogels was significantly maintained compared with that of conventional nonporous hydrogels. This method produced thermoresponsive hydrogels of suitable mechanical strength and remarkable deswelling properties. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 4228–4235, 2002     

Effect of thermal dehydration on surface characteristics of titania gel

The surface properties of titania gel and its thermal dehydration products were investigated by nitrogen and water vapour sorption between 110 and 600°C. Structural and phase changes were studied by X-ray diffractometry and differential thermal analysis. Up to 200°C, samples were X-ray amorphous and formed anatase at 300, 450 and 600°C. The glow phenomenon is attributed to the conversion to anatase at 350°C.Thermal dehydration of the gel between 110 and 300°C and 600°C led to the widening of the pore radii of the gel. At 450°C, marked steps appeared on the nitrogen isotherm, and was accompanied by a sharp increase in nitrogen uptake. The stepwise character is attributed to the presence of a certain porosity characteristic of the gel.Heats of immersion in water depend mainly on the hydrophilic centres on the surface, whereas heats of immersion in cyclohexane are controlled by the micropore fraction of the gel.     

Hydration‐mediated effects of saccharide stereochemistry on poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) gel swelling

To shed new light on the mechanisms of saccharide stereochemistry effect on macromolecules in aqueous solutions, we studied the effect of three monosaccharide stereoisomers, glucose, galactose, and mannose, on the swelling of Poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) hydrogels. We equilibrated PNIPA hydrogels in sugar solutions of different concentrations at 25 °C, and determined gel volume and mass swelling ratios, and sugar concentration imbalance. The volume‐phase‐transition occurred at molal concentrations of 0.587 ± 0.004 (galactose), 0.724 ± 0.003 (glucose), and 0.846 ± 0.004 (mannose). The same order of sugars emerged for the gel‐swelling and the magnitude of the sugar concentration‐imbalance, which correlated with sugar isentropic molar compressibility and hydration number. The more hydrated the sugar, the worse a cosolvent it is for the polymer, hence the larger the deswelling and the more negative the sugar concentration imbalance. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011     

Nanocomposites based on nickel ferrites dispersed in sol–gel silica matrices

In this work, we describe the effects of thermal treatments on the structural, morphological, and textural properties of nanocomposites formed by nickel ferrite dispersed in xerogel and aerogel silica matrices. The catalytic properties for the total oxidation of an organochloro model contaminant, the chlorobenzene, are also evaluated. Wet samples with different amounts of NiFe₂O₄ in matrix were prepared by sol–gel process. Xerogels and aerogels obtained in monolithic form were prepared by controlled and hypercritical drying, respectively, and heated at temperatures between 300 and 1,100°C. The specific surface area and total pore volume of the samples change with heating mainly due to the variation on their texture. The xerogel treated at 500°C and the aerogel treated at 700°C showed the most catalytic activity, converting chlorobenzene at temperatures as low as 150°C, while the other catalysts were active only at temperatures higher than 300°C. No organic by-products were observed in the oxidation of chlorobenzene, suggesting that total oxidation takes place under the reaction conditions. A strong decrease in catalytic activity was observed for nanocomposites treated at 1,100°C, due to matrix densification, which led to the encapsulation of the ferrite particles and hindered the access of the gas to the ferrite surface.     

The influence of cold treatment on properties of temperature-sensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) hydrogel exhibits a response to external temperature variation and shrinks in volume abruptly as the temperature is increased above its lower critical solution temperature. It has great potential applications in biomedical fields. A rapid response rate is essential, especially when this material is designed as an on-off switch for targeted drug delivery. However, due to the appearance of a thick, dense skin layer on the hydrogel surface during the shrinking process, the deswelling rate of conventional PNIPAAm gels is low. In this article, a novel method is proposed to modify the surface morphology of PNIPAAm gel, in which the swollen gels are frozen at low temperature (-20 degrees C). The scanning electron micrographs revealed that a fishnet-like skin layer appeared on the surfaces of the cold-treated gels. Dramatically rapid deswelling was achieved with the cold-treated gels since the fishnet-like structure with numerous small pores prevented the formation of a dense, thick skin layer during the deswelling process, which commonly occurs in normal PNIPAAm hydrogels. Prolonging the cold treatment from 1 day to 10 days resulted in a slightly higher deswelling rate. Rearrangement of the hydrogel matrix structure during the freezing process might contribute to the formation of the fishnet-like skin layer. The water uptake of the hydrogels increased nearly in proportion to the square root of time, indicating that the reswelling rate of hydrogels was controlled predominantly by water diffusion into the network. However, there were no significant differences in the equilibrated swelling ratio and reswelling kinetics at room temperature (22 degrees C) between normal gels and cold-treated gels, which implied that cold treatment did not change bulk porosity and gel tortuosity much.     

Cephalexin synthesis using immobilizedXanthomonas citri cells

For continuous production of cephalexin, whole cells ofXanthomonas citri were immobilized by entrapment in polyacrylamide gel and kappa-carrageenan gel. It wasfound that cells immobilized with kappa-carrageenan showed better thermal stability compared to those immobilized by polyacrylamide gel. The cells immobilized with kappa-carrageenan were treated with glutaraldehyde and hexamethylenediamine to prevent gel destruction during prolonged operation. By immobilizing intact cells, the optimal temperature for the synthetic enzyme reaction shifted higher by 8°C and the optimal pH became broader around 6.2 In continuous operation, the immobilized cells retained better operational stability at 25 than at 37°C, and also showed maximal conversion up to 83% at 25°C.     

Analysis of the Molecular Weight Distribution of Polystyrene

In this paper are reported molecular weight distributions (MWD) of polystyrenes obtained by bulk free-radical polymerization of styrene under isothermal conditions. MWD of polystyrenes were determined by gel-permeation chromatography. From analysis of the results it is apparent that samples synthesized at 80 °C and 90 °C have a bimodal MWD whereas those obtained at 100 °C and 110 °C have unimodal MWD. By two-peak deconvolution of experimental curves (at 80 °C and 90 °C) it is possible to separate the contribution of polystyrene obtained before and after onset of the gel effect.     

Surfactants for CNTs dispersion in zirconia-based ceramic matrix by sol–gel method

Zirconium oxide is a ceramic material widely studied due to its mechanical and electrical properties that can be improved with the use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as reinforcement. The synthesis of CNT/zirconia composites by sol–gel method is still very scarce, due to the hydrophobic nature of the CNTs, being their dispersion in aqueous medium an intrinsic difficulty to the synthesis. In this work, we present a sol–gel synthesis for MWCNTs/zirconia composites, where two kinds of surfactants, sodium and ammonium stearates dissolved in water (1 g/100 mL), were used as dispersant agents for multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). They are cheap and easy to prepare, and were very effective in dispersing the MWCNTs. Different quantities of MWCNTs (up to 5 wt%) were added in the solution of stearate/water and this solution with the highly dispersed MWCNTs was added to the zirconia sol–gel, producing composites of MWCNTs/zirconia with different concentrations of MWCNTs. All the powders were heat treated at 300 and 500 °C and the powder characterization was performed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The composite MWCNTs/zirconia remained amorphous at 300 °C and presented a tetragonal phase at 500 °C with an average grain size of about 20 ± 3 nm, determined by the Scherrer equation from the XRD patterns. For these crystalline samples, TEM images suggest a more effective interaction between MWCNTs with ZrO₂ matrix, where it can be observed that the carbon nanotubes are fully coated by the matrix.     

Self‐oscillation mechanism of hydrogel coupled with chemical oscillations

A novel gel which undergoes an autonomic and periodical swelling‐deswelling oscillation has been prepared by the copolymerization of N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) with ruthenium tris(2,2'‐bipyridine) (Ru(bpy)₃) as a catalyst for the Belousov‐Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction. In order to enhance the amplitude of swelling‐deswelling oscillations of the gel, we attempted to change the period and amplitude of the redox oscillation by varying the initial concentration of substrates of the BZ reaction. Both period and amplitude of chemical oscillation varied depending on the substrate concentration. This variation led to a change in the swelling‐deswelling oscillation: i.e., the swelling‐deswelling amplitude increased with an increase in the period and amplitude of the redox changes. The change in gel size with ca. 20% to the initial size was obtained as the maximum value. The swelling‐deswelling amplitude of the gel is controllable by changing the initial concentration of substrates or the content of immobilized Ru(bpy)₃ catalyst within the gel.     

Hydration products in two aged cement pastes

The hydration products in two aged cement pastes (DTA/DTG/TG) were compared with those in fresh ones (static heating, SH) and were also studied by mass spectrometry (MS), IR and thermo XRD-analysis. The products considered here were: the sorbed water, the CSH gel including hydrates, portlandite, calcite, aragonite and vaterite. Except carbonates their content was higher in the stronger paste C-43, than in C-33, but lowered with ageing (only the CSH gel water remained approximately unchanged). The sorbed water content became with time lower and similar in both pastes (it evaporated up to 155-185°C in TG); the escape of the rest moved to higher temperatures (500-700°C). The three DTG peaks at 200-400°C indicated jennite-like phase in the CSH gel; the mass loss (155-460°C) was higher on ageing due to development of organic matter, especially in C-43 (DTA, TG, IR). Portlandite content changed little and carbonate content increased considerably. They decomposed in air at 470 and 720-740°C, in argon at 450 and 680-710°C and in vacuum at 400 and 630°C, respectively (DTG peak, XRD). Between 500 and 700°C the simultaneous evolution of H₂O and CO₂was observed by MS, which is attributed to dehydroxylation of jennite-like phase and/or to decomposition of some carbonate hydrate and/or hydrocarbonate (three peaks on CO₂evolution curve, MS). The d(001) peak of portlandite exceeded the nominal value and will be analyzed separately.     

Thermal transitions of DODAB vesicular dispersions

Two endothermic transitions, at 36°C and 44°C, were observed with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) upon heating dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide vesicle dispersions that were equilibrated below 15°C while in samples kept at 25°C there was only the transition at 44°C, which was shown to be the gel to liquid–crystalline transition by ¹H-NMR measurements. The transition at 36°C was reversed in an exothermic transition around 13°C upon cooling. The slowness of this transition at ambient temperatures suggests that the presence of the transition at 36°C in a DSC upscan depends strongly on the sample history.     

Ionic strength/temperature-induced gelation of aqueous poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-vinylimidazole) solution

A high molecular weight copolymer of N-isopropylacrylamide (NiPAAm) and vinyl imidazole (VI) was synthesized and its phase transition behavior in aqueous solutions (5 wt%) by simultaneous changes of ionic strength and temperature was investigated. At low ionic strengths, the copolymer solution showed two phases (clear and opaque solutions), which were freely mobile, as increasing temperatures up to 65°C due to repulsion interaction of positive charges developed by basic imidazole group on the polymer aggregates. However, at the physiological condition (I=0.15, T=37°C), four distinctive phases (clear solution, opaque solution, gel and shrunken gel) were observed because of charge shielding effect by added salts. The gel state was stable and maintained from 32°C to 55°C. In particular, the phase transition from opaque solution to gel rapidly occurred by the change in ionic strength (from ∼ 0 to 0.15) at 37°C. This characteristic can be utilized as a liquid embolic agent.     

Effect of multivalent cations,temperature, and aging on SOM thermal properties

Multivalent cations are suggested to influence the supramolecular structure of soil organic matter (SOM) via inter- and intra-molecular interactions with SOM functional groups. In this study, we tested the combined effect of cations, temperature treatment, and isothermal aging on SOM matrix properties. Samples from a peat and a mineral soil were either enriched with Na, Ca, and Al or desalinated in batch experiments. After treatment at 25, 40, 60, and 105 °C and after different periods of aging at 19 °C and 31 % relative humidity, we investigated the physicochemical matrix stability and the thermal stability against combustion. We hypothesized that multivalent cations stabilize the SOM matrix, that these structures disrupt at elevated temperatures, and that aging leads to an increase in matrix stability. The results show that cation-specific effects on matrix rigidity started to evolve in the peat only after 8 weeks of aging and were significantly lower than the temperature effects. Temperature treatment above 40 °C caused a non (or not immediately) reversible loss of water molecule bridges (WaMB) and above 60 °C a partly reversible melting process probably of semi-crystalline poly(methylene). Thermal stability increased with increasing cation valence and degree of protonation and was much less affected by temperature. Generally, Na-treated and control samples revealed lower thermal stability and lower increase in matrix rigidity with aging than those treated with Ca, Al, and H. We conclude that drying at elevated temperatures (>40 °C) may irreversibly change SOM structure via disruption of labile cross-links and melting of semi-crystalline domains.     

Preparation and characterization of a nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon aerogel and its polymer precursor

Nitrogen-containing carbon aerogel was prepared from resorcinol–melamine–formaldehyde (R–M–F) polymer gel precursor. The polymer gel was supercritically dried with CO₂, and the carbonization of the resulting polymer aerogel under nitrogen atmosphere at 900 °C yielded the carbon aerogel. The polymer and carbon aerogels were characterized with TG/DTA–MS, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption/desorption (??196 °C), FTIR, Raman, powder XRD and SEM–EDX techniques. The thermal decomposition of the polymer aerogel had two major steps. The first step was at 150 °C, where the unreacted monomers and the residual solvent were released, and the second one at 300 °C, where the species belonging to the polymer network decomposition could be detected. The pyrolytic conversion of the polymer aerogel was successful, as 0.89 at.% nitrogen was retained in the carbon matrix. The nitrogen-doped carbon aerogel was amorphous and possessed a hierarchical porous structure. It had a significant specific surface area (890 m² g^?1) and pore volume (4.7 cm³ g^?1). TG/DTA–MS measurement revealed that during storage in ambient conditions surface functional groups formed, which were released upon annealing.     

Influence of pyrolysis temperature on the properties of sol–gel derived zinc oxide films

The influence of pyrolysis temperature on the properties of sol–gel derived zinc oxide films has been investigated. As-deposited films were pyrolyzed at 300 °C for 30 min and at 500 °C for 10 min. Final annealing was done at 600 °C for 30 min in air. The as-grown films deposited on soda-lime-silica glass substrates were highly c-axis oriented. Distinct grain structure was present in the film pyrolyzed at 500 °C, while the surface of the film pyrolyzed at 300 °C was smooth and no observed texture. The surface of ZnO pyrolyzed at 300 °C was covered with needle-like grain growth. With increasing pyrolysis temperature at 500 °C, a three-dimensional island formation was appeared.     

Immobilization of Candida antarctica lipase B on the surface of modified sol–gel matrix

The use of modified sol–gel matrix to immobilize the enzyme Candida antartica lipase B (CALB) was investigated. Free hydroxyl groups on the matrix surface were exploited to covalently immobilize the enzyme. Based from the results, incorporating hydrophobic sol–gel precursor (ethyltrimethoxysilane) enhanced enzyme activity. An enzyme activity of 192.02 U/g beads with 80.88 % attachment was obtained. At alkaline pH, immobilization yield of enzyme increased. The attachment of enzyme on the surface of the matrix was confirmed by scanning electron microscope images. Covalently immobilized CALB on sol–gel supports has higher thermal stability with 2.7 times higher half-life compared to soluble enzymes at 60 °C. This enzyme immobilization system retains the enzyme residual activity even for repetitive use. Hence, the immobilization approach developed recommends its further application.     

Chemically Crosslinked pH- and Temperature-Sensitive (N-isopropylacrylamide-co-1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) Based on New Crosslinker: I. Swelling Behavior

Novel pH- and temperature-sensitive polymer matrices based on N-isopropylacrylamide have been developed. The hydrogels were prepared by bulk radical polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide and 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidinone in appropriate amounts of distilled water using different mol% of traditional N,N-methylene bisacrylamide (MBA) and the new synthesized N,N,N-tris acryloyl melamine (MAAm) crosslinkers. Lower critical solution transition temperatures (LCST) were measured by differential scanning calorimetry. The synthesized hydrogels have LCST lower than 40°C. The influence of environmental conditions such as temperature and pH on the swelling behavior of these polymeric gels was investigated. The swelling behaviors of the resulting gels show pH sensitivity. The crosslinked NIPAAm/VP with MAAm hydrogels exhibited more rapid deswelling rate than NIPAAm/VP hydrogels crosslinked with MBA in pure water in response to abrupt temperature changes from 20°C to 50°C.