A facile pathway for the fast synthesis of colloidal crystal‐loaded hydrogels via frontal polymerization

In this work, a dually sensitive colloidal crystal (CC)‐loaded hydrogel has been synthesized via frontal polymerization (FP) in a facile and rapid way. First, a polystyrene CC film was fabricated by vertical deposition on the inner wall of a test tube. Then, a mixture of acrylic acid (AAc), 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), and glycerol along with the initiator and crosslinker was added to this test tube to carry out FP, resulting in the formation of CC‐loaded hydrogel. The influence of the mass ratios of HEMA/AAc on front velocity and temperatures were studied. The swelling behavior, the morphology, and the stimuli‐responsive behavior of the CC‐loaded hydrogels prepared via FP were thoroughly investigated on the basis of swelling measurement, scanning electron microscopy, and reflection spectra. Results show that the as‐prepared CC‐loaded hydrogels exhibit excellent dual sensitivity to both methanol concentrations and pH values with very short response time, which can be observed visually without the aid of instruments. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Copolymerization of 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate with a comonomer with spiroacetal moiety

The study reports the synthesis of a copolymer based on 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate and 3,9‐divinyl‐2,4,8,10‐tetraoxaspiro[5.5]undecane (U) acquired through radical polymerization in the presence of 2,2′‐azobis(2‐methylpropionitrile). The attempt was to have a solid content as high as 10 wt %. The polymerization process was conducted in the presence of a classic ionic surfactant—sodium lauryl sulfate—and comparatively using two variants of protective colloid β‐cyclodextrin and poly(aspartic acid), respectively. The prepared dispersions were characterized from the viewpoint of their hydrodynamic radius, zeta potential, and conductivity evolution during syntheses. The mean particle size and size distribution and zeta potential and conductivity were also evaluated for the synthesized polymeric particles. The compositions of the polymers were confirmed by FTIR and ¹H NMR spectra, and also, the thermal stability of the polymeric compounds was evaluated. SEM and AFM investigations of the polymer morphology are also presented. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

双连续型乳液凝胶(Bijel)的研究进展

双连续型结构是指同一体系中存在两种连续态,这在刚体中很容易实现,但对于流体却十分困难.要使两种流体同时保持连续态,不仅对它们的相容性、密度、极性等方面要求极高,还需要稳定剂来牢牢稳定住液-液界面.最早的双连续型凝胶是在对高聚物进行研究时发现的,后来英国爱丁堡大学软物质课题组进行了一系列研究,最终在低分子量液体体系中实现了重大突破,制备出本文所要讨论的bicontinuous interfacially jammed emulsion gel(Bijel).这种结构可以被称作"双连续型乳液凝胶",它兼有乳液(emulsion)和凝胶(gel)的物理性质,独特的双连续结构使它拥有更为广阔的应用空间.本文简短地回顾了Bijel的研发过程,总结近年来的研究进展,指出它在工业应用中受到的限制,并对室温下通过直接搅拌制备Bijel的方法做重点介绍.     

氧化镁用于制备氢氧化铁胶体的实验设计

Fe（OH）3胶体的制备是中学重要的课堂演示实验,由于实验过程需要加热而耗时较长。从理论与实验的角度证实了使用MgO可促进Fe3+水解形成Fe（OH）3胶体。该方法在常温下即可进行,无需加热,实验成功率高及实验现象明显,符合绿色化学理念,非常适合课堂演示实验与学生自主实验。