Synthesis and characterization of graphene‐containing thermoresponsive nanocomposite hydrogels of poly(N‐vinylcaprolactam) prepared by frontal polymerization |
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| Authors: | Roberta Sanna Davide Sanna Valeria Alzari Daniele Nuvoli Sergio Scognamillo Massimo Piccinini Massimo Lazzari Emilia Gioffredi Giulio Malucelli Alberto Mariani |
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| Institution: | 1. Dipartimento di Chimica e Farmacia, Università di Sassari, and local INSTM Unit, Via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy;2. Porto Conte Ricerche S.r.l., SP 55 km 8.400 Loc. Tramariglio, 07041 Alghero, Sassari, Italy;3. Centre for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials (CIQUS), University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain;4. Dipartimento di Scienza Applicata e Tecnologia, Politecnico di Torino, sede di Alessandria, and local INSTM unit, Via T. Michel 5,15121 Alessandria, Italy |
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| Abstract: | Thermoresponsive poly(N‐vinylcaprolactam) nanocomposite hydrogels containing graphene were successfully prepared by frontal polymerization. High concentration of graphene (5.0 mg/mL) was obtained by direct graphite sonication in the self‐same liquid monomer, thus avoiding any chemical manipulation and obtaining “real” graphene as nanofiller instead of one of its more or less oxidized derivative, which is what generally reported in published reports. Furthermore, the corresponding nanocomposites were obtained without using any solvent to be eventually removed. The materials were fully characterized by RAMAN, SEM, and TEM, and their swelling behavior and rheological properties were investigated. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012 |
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| Keywords: | frontal polymerization graphene hydrogels nanocomposites stimuli‐sensitive polymers |
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