Hybrid microgels with reversibly changeable multiple brilliant color

We report reversibly color changeable hybrid microgels that tune multiple brilliant colors due to interparticle interactions of SPR using several structured nanoparticles. The interparticle interactions were brought out using the thermosensitive swelling/deswelling property of microgel. We employ N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) copolymerized microgels (NG microgels) as templates for in situ synthesis of Au nanoparticles. The seed Au nanoparticles could be stably grown by successive reduction of Au and Ag in the microgels. Interestingly, the hybrid microgels were able to exhibit multiple brilliant colors by attaching Au/Ag multiple core/shell bimetallic nanoparticles in the microgels, and the color change reversibility of each hybrid microgel was accomplished by adjusting the nanoparticles' sizes. Obtained microgels shown in this study will find important applications such as in biomedical and electronic devices.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Monodisperse Thermosensitive Dumbbell‐Shaped Microgels

Monodisperse thermosensitive dumbbell‐shaped core‐shell microgels are fabricated, which consist of a polystyrene core with a cross‐linked poly (N‐isopropylacrylamide) shell. The morphology of the microgels was investigated through cryogenic transmission electron microscopy and depolarized dynamic light scattering. The effective volume fraction and aspect ratio of the system could be adjusted through the swelling of the thermosensitive shell. We observe a phase transition of the microgels to an ordered, crystal‐like state, which is apparent through Bragg‐reflections in the visible range. These observations are further supported by rheological measurements where the shear‐melting of the crystal phase is clearly detected.     

Influence of shell thickness and cross-link density on the structure of temperature-sensitive poly-N-isopropylacrylamide-poly-N-isopropylmethacrylamide core-shell microgels investigated by small-angle neutron scattering

Swelling properties of doubly temperature sensitive core-shell microgels consisting of two thermosensitive polymers with lower critical solution temperatures (LCTS) at, respectively, 34 degrees C in the core and 44 degrees C in the shell have been investigated by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). A core-shell form factor has been employed to evaluate the structure, and the real space particle structure is expressed by radial density profiles. By this means, the influences of both shell/core mass composition and shell cross-linker content on the internal structure have been revealed at temperatures above, between, and below the LCSTs. Higher shell/core mass ratios lead to an increased expansion of the core at temperatures between the LCSTs, whereas a variation of cross-linker in the shell mainly effects the dimensions of the shell. The influence on the core structure was interpreted as resulting from an elastic force developed from the swollen shell. At temperatures below the core LCST, the core cannot swell to its native size (i.e., in the absence of a shell), because the maximum expanded shell network prohibits further swelling. Thus, depending on temperature, the shell either expands or compresses the core.     

核壳结构葡萄糖敏感微凝胶的制备

用先合成聚N-异丙基丙烯酰胺(PNIPAM)微凝胶核再包一层N-异丙基丙烯酰胺/丙烯酸共聚物(P(NIPAM-co-AA))壳的办法合成了一系列核壳结构微凝胶.微凝胶壳层厚度随投入的壳储备溶液的增加而增加.研究了pH=3.5时核壳微凝胶的温敏体积相转变行为.由于PNIPAM核和P(NIPAM-co-AA)壳的相转变温度很接近,因此只观察到一个相转变.在EDC催化下使3-氨基苯硼酸与壳层中的羧基反应,将苯硼酸基(PBA)引入微凝胶,得到核为PNIPAM、壳为P(NIPAM-co-AMPBA)的核壳结构微凝胶.改性后的微凝胶表现出3个体积相转变过程.其中第一个对应于P(NIPAM-co-AMPBA)壳层的体积相转变.第二和第三个则是PNIPAM核的相转变过程.由于在沉淀聚合时交联剂BIS反应性更大,PNIPAM核结构不均一,形成BIS含量高的"核"和BIS含量低的"壳".BIS含量低的"壳"被一层疏水的P(NIPAM-co-AMPBA)壳包裹,拉大了其与"核"的相转变温度的差别,因此随着温度升高表现出两个相转变过程.PBA改性的微凝胶同样表现出葡萄糖敏感性,但在葡萄糖存在下溶胀度的改变较小.     

负载金纳米粒子的聚苯乙烯/聚丙烯酸微球的合成及pH响应性能

以两步聚合法合成的聚苯乙烯(PS)/聚丙烯酸(PAA)核-壳结构复合微凝胶为载体, 硼氢化钠为还原剂, 柠檬酸钠为稳定剂, 通过原位控制性还原获得pH敏感性微凝胶负载纳米金粒子的PS/PAA-Au复合材料. 研究发现, 不同酸碱条件时, 复合微凝胶壳层高分子链的溶胀/收缩变化, 不仅可以调节纳米金粒子的表面等离子吸收, 还可以调节反应底物的扩散传质, 即借助载体微环境的变化来调控纳米金光学性能和催化性能, 从而实现复合纳米金材料的pH调控性.     

Cross‐Linking Density and Temperature Effects on the Self‐Assembly of SiO2—PNIPAAm Core–Shell Particles at Interfaces

SiO₂–PNIPAAm core–shell microgels (PNIPAAm=poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide)) with various internal cross‐linking densities and different degrees of polymerization were prepared in order to investigate the effects of stability, packing, and temperature responsiveness at polar–apolar interfaces. The effects were investigated using interfacial tensiometry, and the particles were visualized by cryo‐scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and scanning force microscopy (SFM). The core–shell particles display different interfacial behaviors depending on the polymer shell thickness and degree of internal cross‐linking. A thicker polymer shell and reduced internal cross‐linking density are more favorable for the stabilization and packing of the particles at oil–water (o/w) interfaces. This was shown qualitatively by SFM of deposited, stabilized emulsion droplets and quantitatively by SFM of particles adsorbed onto a hydrophobic planar silicon dioxide surface, which acted as a model interface system. The temperature responsiveness, which also influences particle–interface interactions, was investigated by dynamic temperature protocols with varied heating rates. These measurements not only showed that the particles had an unusual but very regular and reversible interface stabilization behavior, but also made it possible to assess the nonlinear response of PNIPAAm microgels to external thermal stimuli.     

Polymer dynamics in responsive microgels: influence of cononsolvency and microgel architecture

The dynamics of polymers on the nm and ns scales inside responsive microgels was probed by means of Neutron Spin Echo (NSE) experiments. Four different microgels were studied: poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and poly(N,N-diethylacrylamide) (PDEAAM) microgels, a P(NIPAM-co-DEAAM) copolymer microgel and a core-shell microgel with a PDEAAM core and a PNIPAM shell. These four different microgel systems were investigated in a D(2)O/CD(3)OD solvent mixture with a molar CD(3)OD fraction of x(MeOD) = 0.2 at 10 °C. The PNIPAM and the P(NIPAM-co-DEAAM) microgels are in the collapsed state under these conditions. They behave as solid diffusing objects with only very small additional contributions from internal motions. The PDEAAM particle is swollen under these conditions and mainly Zimm segmental dynamics can be detected in the intermediate scattering function at high momentum transfer. A cross-over to a collective diffusive motion is found for smaller q-values. The shell of the PDEAAM-core-PNIPAM-shell particle is collapsed, which leads to a static contribution to S(q,t); the core, however, is swollen and Zimm segmental dynamics are observed. However, the contributions of the Zimm segmental dynamics to the scattering function are smaller as compared to the pure PDEAAM particle. Interestingly the values of the apparent solvent viscosities inside the microgels as obtained from the NSE experiments are higher than for the bulk solvent. In addition different values were obtained for the PDEAAM microgel, and the PDEAAM-core of the PDEAAM-core-PNIPAM-shell particle, respectively. We attribute the strongly increased viscosity in the PDEAAM particle to enhanced inhomogeneities, which are induced by the swelling of the particle. The different viscosity inside the PDEAAM-core of the PDEAAM-core-PNIPAM-shell microgel could be due to a confinement effect: the collapsed PNIPAM-shell restricts the swelling of the PDEAAM-core and may modify the hydrodynamic interactions in this restricted environment inside the microgel.     

Designed glucose-responsive microgels with selective shrinking behavior

We report on the synthesis of various glucose-responsive microgels based on N-alkylacrylamide derivatives and phenylboronic acid (PBA) as a glucose sensing moiety. Depending on their chemical composition, the microgels exhibit opposite behaviors in response to glucose concentration increase: they can either swell or shrink, using two different mechanisms for glucose recognition. Both behaviors may be suitable for glucose sensing and insulin delivery. When glucose binds a single boronate receptor, the microgel swells as glucose concentration increases. This mechanism can be used to deliver a drug by diffusion through the network. In other cases, glucose binds specifically to two boronates, which creates additional cross-links within the network and provokes shrinkage. Such systems are promising for the development of sensors with improved selectivity and also as potential "intelligent" valves in microfabricated delivery systems. By a rational choice of the constituting units of the network structure, we show how to favor one or the other type of response to glucose variation. Therefore, glucose-swelling microgels operating under physiological conditions have been obtained by copolymerization with an appropriate choice of alkylacrylamide monomer and boronate derivative. At a pH above the pK(a) of the boronic acid derivative, the same structures shrink in response to glucose concentration. The nature of the cross-linker is a key parameter to enable this dual behavior. In other microgels, an amine group is introduced in the vicinity of the boronic acid, which lowers its pK(a) and favors microgel contraction at physiological pH. This work has allowed us to give some general rules to control the swelling/shrinking behavior of glucose-responsive microgels.     

Preparation of thermoresponsive core–shell polymeric microspheres and hollow PNIPAM microgels

A reliable and efficient route for preparing thermoresponsive hollow microgels based on cross-linked poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAM) was developed. Firstly, monodisperse thermoresponsive core–shell microspheres composed of a P(styrene (St)-co-NIPAM) core and a cross-linked PNIPAM shell were prepared by seeded emulsion polymerization using P(St-co-NIPAM) particles as seeds. The size of the P(St-co-NIPAM) core can be conveniently tuned by different dosages of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The thickness of the cross-linked PNIPAM shell can be controlled by varying the dosage of NIPAM in the preparation of PNIAPM shell. Then, hollow PNIPAM microgels were obtained by simply dissolving the P(St-co-NIPAM) core with tetrahydrofuran. The core–shell microspheres and the hollow microgels were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, atomic force microscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy.     

葡萄糖敏感微凝胶的溶胀动力学研究

通过沉淀聚合法合成了P(NIPAM-co-AA)微凝胶,然后在EDC催化下用3-氨基苯硼酸对微凝胶进行改性,制备了P(NIPAMI-co-AAPBA)微凝胶.红外光谱检测证明改性完全.改性后的微凝胶仍具有很好的温敏性,但由于引入疏水的苯硼酸基团,微凝胶的体积相转变温度大大降低.P(NIPAM-co-AAPBA)微凝胶具...     

Thermodynamic considerations of microgel swelling behavior

A simple but novel thermodynamic model is presented, based upon van't Hoff analysis, for the reversible swelling behavior of colloidal microgels. The swelling, as a function of temperature, of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide/N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide) as well as poly(N-isopropylacrylamide/vinylpyridine/N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide/acrylic acid/N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide) microgel dispersions in H2O and D2O has been studied by photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS). PCS data was used to obtain the hydrodynamic diameter and hence the volume of the microgels (before and after reconstitution following freeze-drying) as a function of temperature. The choice of standard reference states, for analyzing the data attained, is discussed, and the one selected is that of the volume of the microgels at 333 K in H2O. For all microgels examined the volume, at this temperature, is shown to be independent of solvent (H2O, D2O). The derived data has allowed the exploration of a novel thermodynamic approach to the study of the swelling behavior of the microgels. The constant volume, at 333 K, for each of the polymer systems constituting the microgels is suggested to be an intrinsic property of the polymers themselves.     

Swelling behaviour of PNIPAM-polyisoprene core-shell microgels at surface

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM)-based microgels covered with hydrophobic but water-permeable shell were used for modification of a hydrophilic substrate with the aim to provide a ??contraphilic?? wetting behaviour, namely, to make the surface more hydrophobic in water environment (polar medium) than in dry state in air (non-polar medium). Bottom-up approach has been applied for a stepwise preparation of a structured two-component surface. Loosely packed microgels self-organised into quasiperiodic arrays were chemically grafted to the hydrophilic, functionalised substrate. Afterwards, a surface-initiated polymerisation of isoprene was performed selectively from microgels making them hydrophobic. The surface was found to be water-sensitive, as observed by in situ AFM measurements. The surface fraction of the hydrophobic component increased from 13% in the dry state up to 25% in water due to swelling of the microgels. However, small contraphilic effect was recorded by water contact angle measurements because of a moderate lateral swelling of the core-shell microgels and due to a fast swelling of the microgels already upon the measurements.     

The volume transition in thermosensitive core-shell latex particles investigated by small-angle x-ray scattering and dynamic light scattering

We present a survey over recent studies of the volume transition in colloidal core-shell particles composed of a solid poly(styrene) core and a shell of a thermosensitive crosslinked polymer chains. The thermosensitive shell is built up from poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) chains (PNIPA) crosslinked by N,N′-methylenbisacrylamide (BIS). In addition, particles containing acrylic acid (AA) as comonomer have been synthesized and investigated. The volume transition of these particles have been studied by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). In all cases analyzed so far the volume transition was found to be continuous. This finding shows that the core-shell microgels behave in a distinctively different manner than ordinary thermosensitive gels: The crosslinked chains in the shell are bound to a solid boundary independent of temperature. The spatial constraint by this boundary decreases the maximum degree of swelling but also prevents a full collapse of the network above the volume transition.     

Functionalised Microgels for Acrylic Coatings

Summary: Aqueous acrylic dispersions of hydroxy-functionalised copolymer microgel particles crosslinked with allyl methacrylate were synthesized by emulsion polymerization. The microgels were investigated as reactive polymer fillers in mixtures with a water-borne film-forming dispersion. Properties of coatings cast from mixtures of aqueous dispersion of hard microgel particles and film-forming water-borne dispersion were investigated. The swelling behaviour of microgels in selected solvents (aliphatic ketones) as a function of microgel composition is discussed as well. It was found that the swelling ability of microgels decreased with growing degree of crosslinking. Microgels comprising copolymerised butyl methacrylate swelled less in aliphatic ketones than microgels without this comonomer. This work was focused mainly on the influence of microgels incorporated in the commercial solvent-borne acrylic binders on the properties of coatings. It was shown that the application of microgels that were redispersed in acetone did not affect the surface appearance and transparency of coatings. Moreover, the presence of microgel network precursors accelerated film curing at ambient temperature and improved the final hardness of coatings.     

N‐vinylcaprolactam‐based microgels: Synthesis and characterization

Poly(N‐vinylcaprolactam) (PVCL) is well known for its thermoresponsive behavior in aqueous solutions. PVCL combines useful and important properties; it is biocompatible polymer with the phase transition in the region of physiological temperature (32–38 °C). This combination of properties allows consideration of PVCL as a material for design biomedical devices and use in drug delivery systems. In this work, PVCL based temperature‐sensitive crosslinked particles (microgels) were synthesized in a batch reactor to analyze the effect of the crosslinker, initiator, surfactant, temperature, and VCL concentration on polymerization process and final microgels characteristics. The mean particle diameters at different temperatures and the volume phase‐transition temperature of the final product were analyzed. To obtain information about the inner structure of microgel particles, semicontinuous polymerizations were carried out and the evolution of the hydrodynamic average particle diameters at different temperatures of the microgel synthesized was investigated. In the case of microgel particles obtained in a batch reactor the size and the swelling‐de‐swelling behavior as a function of the temperature of the medium can be tuned by modulating the reaction variables. When the microgel particles were synthesized in a semibatch reactor different swelling‐de‐swelling behaviors were observed depending on particles inner structure. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 2510–2524, 2008     

Preparation and Properties of Cyclodextrin/PNIPAm Microgels

A two‐stage precipitation polymerization in aqueous solution was used to prepare β‐cyclodextrin/poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (β‐CD/PNIPAm) core–shell microgels. At the first stage, core microgels with CD moieties were synthesized by precipitation copolymerization of N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm) with a monovinyl β‐CD monomer. At the second stage, using the core particles as seeds, PNIPAm shell were further added onto the seeds by NIPAm polymerization. The microgels were characterized by means of Zetasizer Nano‐ZS dynamic light scattering, TEM, IR, NMR, DSC, and TGA measurements. Using paeonol as a model drug molecule, the release behaviors of the microgels were investigated. The result indicates that the core–shell microgels could respond to change in temperature. Furthermore, the release of paeonol was related to supramolecular inclusion behavior of β‐CD and temperature sensitivity of PNIPAm.

     

Synthesis of pH and temperature sensitive, core-shell nano/microgels, by one pot, soap-free emulsion polymerization

The synthesis and properties of thermal/pH-sensitive core-shell copolymer nano/microgels were investigated. The crosslinked core consisted of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) while the shell was stabilized by poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA) and 2-methacryloyloxybenzoic acid (2MBA) using a "one pot" soapless emulsion polymerization method. Monodisperse particles were produced with average hydrodynamic diameters ranging from 40 to 880 nm, as determined by dynamic light scattering (DLS) in water at 25°C, depending on the synthetic recipe used. The influence of PEGMA and 2MBA content on size and temperature transition at different pH values was studied. Zeta potential measurements and acid-base titration studies demonstrated almost complete incorporation of acid comonomer (2MBA) into the nano/microgels. Two different crosslinkers, a stable and an acid labile, were compared. The crosslinker used has a major influence on the size and charge density of the nano/microgels produced. Microscopic studies confirmed the core-shell morphology of the nano/microgels.     

Direct imaging of temperature-sensitive core-shell latexes by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy

We present a comprehensive investigation of the volume transition in thermosensitive core-shell particles. The particles consist of a solid core of poly (styrene) (radius: 52 nm) onto which a network of crosslinked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) is affixed. The degree of crosslinking of the PNIPAM shell effected by the crosslinker N,N ^′-methylenebisacrylamide was varied between 1.25 and 5 mol%. Immersed in water, the shell of these particles is swollen at low temperatures. Raising the temperature above 32°C leads to a volume transition within the shell. Cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (Cryo-TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) have been used to investigate the structure and swelling of the particles. The Cryo-TEM micrographs directly show inhomogeneities of the network. Moreover, a buckling of the shell from the core particle is evident. This buckling increases with decreasing degree of crosslinking. A comparison of the overall size of the particles determined by DLS and Cryo-TEM demonstrates that the hydrodynamic radius provides a valid measure for the size of the particles. The phase transition within the network measured by DLS can be described by the Flory–Rehner theory. It is shown that this model captures the main features of the volume transition within the core-shell particles including the dependence of the phase transition on the degree of crosslinking. All dispersions crystallize at volume fractions above 0.5. The resulting phase diagram is identical to the phase behavior of hard spheres within the limits of error. This demonstrates that the core-shell microgels can be treated as hard spheres up to volume fractions of at least 0.55.     

High stability amperometric biosensor based on enzyme entrapment in microgels

The preparation and characterization of an amperometric glucose biosensor based on the entrapment of glucose oxidase (GOx) in a polyacrylamide microgel is described. This study proves that polyacrylamide microgels provide an excellent matrix for GOx immobilization that can be used as a biological material in amperometric biosensors. The interference produced by ascorbic and uric acid has been eliminated by including acrylic acid in the polymeric matrix. With this modification, we obtain an adequate device for glucose determination in complex samples such as blood and serum. The study of the temperature effect in the response of biosensors indicates that swelling of the microgels directly influences the enzymatic activity. Thus, the behaviour of the enzyme in the swollen microgels is similar to the enzyme in solution, but the enzyme's activation energy increases when the water content in the microgels decreases. One important property of these biosensors is their remarkable stability. After 4 months of its manufacture, there is no loss in the initial response. Furthermore, the enzymatic activity of freeze-dried microgels containing enzyme remains unaltered for at least 18 months.     

New Route to Smart Core‐Shell Polymeric Microgels: Synthesis and Properties

Summary: A new method has been developed to prepare smart polymeric microgels that consist of well‐defined temperature‐sensitive cores with pH‐sensitive shells. The microgels were obtained directly from aqueous graft copolymerizations of N‐isopropylacrylamide and N,N‐methylenebisacrylamide from water‐soluble polymers containing amino groups such as poly(ethyleneimine) and chitosan. The gel diameters ranged from 300 to 400 nm. The unique core‐shell nanostructures, which had narrow size distributions, exhibited tuneable responses to pH and temperature.

Transmission electron micrograph of the poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide)/chitosan core‐shell microgels.