A novel pH- and temperature-sensitive nanocomposite microgel based on linear Poly(acrylic acid) (PAAc) and Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) crosslinked by inorganic clay was synthesized by a two-step method. First, PNIPA microgel was prepared via surfactant-free emulsion polymerization by using inorganic clay as a crosslinker, and then AAc monomer was polymerized within the PNIPA microgel. The structure and morphology of the microgel were confirmed by FTIR, WXRD and TEM. The results indicated that the exfoliated clay platelets were dispersed homogeneously in the PNIPA microgels and acted as a multifunctional crosslinker, while the linear PAAc polymer chains incorporated in the PNIPA microgel network to form a semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) structure. The hydrodynamic diameters of the semi-IPN microgels ranged from 360 to 400 nm, which was much smaller than that of the conventional microgel prepared by using N,N′-methylenebis(acrylamide) (MBA) as a chemical crosslinker, the later was about 740 nm. The semi-IPN microgels exhibited good pH- and temperature-sensitivity, which could respond independently to both pH and temperature changes. 相似文献
Adopting inorganic clay (hectorite) and MBA as physical and chemical cross‐linking agents, respectively, PNIPAM microgels were synthesized by SFEP. The chemical structure and morphology of the microgels were confirmed by FTIR, WXRD, and SEM. The temperature‐sensitivity of the microgels was investigated by DLS and UV spectrophotometers. The results inferred that clay platelets dispersed in an aqueous medium were fully exfoliated and could act as a kind of multifunctional cross‐linking agent and significantly reduced the hydrodynamic diameters of the microgels. In fact, the hydrodynamic diameters of the PNIPAM microgels with clay as cross‐linker ranged from 154 to 322 nm which was much smaller than that using MBA as chemical cross‐linker, the later was in the range of 284–808 nm on heating from 5 to 50 °C.
We report a microfluidic approach to generating capsules of biopolymer hydrogels. Droplets of an aqueous solution of a biopolymer were emulsified in an organic phase comprising a cross-linking agent. Polymer gelation was achieved in situ (on a microfluidic chip) by diffusion-controlled ionic cross-linking of the biopolymer, following the transfer of the cross-linking agent from the continuous phase to the droplets. Gelation was quenched by collecting particles in a large pool of cross-linking agent-free liquid. The structure of microgels (from capsules to gradient microgels to particles with a uniform structure) was controlled by varying the time of residence of droplets on the microfluidic chip and the concentration of the cross-linking agent in the continuous phase. We demonstrated the encapsulation of a controlled number of polystyrene beads in the microgel capsules. The described approach was applied to the preparation of capsules of several polysaccharides such as alginate, kappa-carrageenan, and carboxymethylcellulose. 相似文献
A new method, adopting inorganic clay (synthetic hectorite) as a physical cross-linker, was used to prepare poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) microgels via surfactant-free emulsion polymerization. The effect of hectorite content on the temperature-sensitivity of PNIPAM microgels was investigated by means of DLS, UV/Vis and DSC. It was found that, in the absence of surfactant, with increasing hectorite content, the particle size tends to decrease to 300 nm at room temperature, while increases as weight ratio (WR) of hectorite and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) exceeds 21%. Furthermore, with increasing WR from 7% to 21%, the volume phase transition temperature of PNIPAM microgels has little shift, while decreases slightly when WR increases up to 28%. 相似文献
We used soft microgels made of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) of variable cross-linking degrees and the same colloidal size to stabilize oil-in-water Pickering emulsions. The extent of droplet flocculation increased and the resistance of the emulsions to mechanical stresses decreased as the cross-linking density was augmented. Large flat films were separating the droplets, and we could measure the adhesion angle at the junction with the free interfaces through several microscopy methods. The size of the flat films and the values of the angles were reflecting strong adhesive interactions between the interfaces as a result of microgel bridging. In parallel, cryo-SEM imaging of the thin films allowed a precise determination of their structure. The evolution of the adhesion angle and of the film structure as a function of microgels cross-linking density provided interesting insights into the impact of particle softness on film adhesiveness and emulsion stability. We exploited our main findings to propose a novel route for controlling the emulsions end-use properties (flocculation and stability). Owing to particle softness and thermal sensitivity, the interfacial coverage was a path function (it depended on the sample "history"). As a consequence, by adapting the emulsification conditions, the interfacial monolayer could be trapped in a very dense and rigid configuration, providing improved resistance to bridging flocculation and to flow-induced coalescence. 相似文献
pH-responsive microgels are cross-linked polymer colloids that swell when the pH approaches the pKa of the particles. In this work, we present a comprehensive investigation of pH-triggered particle swelling and gel formation
for a range of microgels containing methacrylic acid (MAA). The microgels investigated have the general composition poly(A/MAA/X),
where A and X are the primary co-monomer and cross-linking monomer, respectively. The primary co-monomers were methyl methacrylate
(MMA), ethyl acrylate (EA) or butyl methacrylate. The cross-linking monomers were either butanediol diacrylate (BDDA) or ethyleneglycol
dimethacrylate (EGDMA). The microgels were studied using scanning electron microscopy, photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS)
and dynamic rheology measurements. Gel phase diagrams were also constructed. The particles swelled significantly at pH values
greater than approximately 6.0. It was shown that poly(EA/MAA/X) microgels swelled more strongly than poly(MMA/MAA/X) microgels.
Furthermore, greater swelling occurred for particles prepared using EGDMA than BDDA. Concentrated dispersions of all the microgels
studied exhibited pH-triggered gel formation. It was found that the fluid-to-gel transitions for the majority of the six microgel
dispersions investigated could be explained using PCS data. In those cases, gelation was attributed to a colloidal glass transition.
Interestingly, the microgels that were considered to have the highest hydrophobic content gelation occurred under conditions
where little particle swelling was evident from PCS. The data presented show that gelled poly(EA/MAA/BDDA) and poly(MMA/MAA/EGDMA)
microgel dispersions have the strongest elasticities at pH = 7. 相似文献
