Determination of the Three-dimensional Network Parameters of Radiation-Cured Siloxane Rubber Vulcanizates

The dependence of the concentration of network junction points, as determined by equilibrium swelling ratio, in an SKTV-shch siloxane rubber and siloxane rubber–silicon dioxide formulations on the dose of ionizing radiation was investigated. The radiation-chemical yield of crosslinking was shown to increase with increasing the filler content. This result was tentatively explained by reducing the molecular mobility of the rubber chains adsorbed at the surface of silicon dioxide particles.     

Swelling Behavior of Semi‐Interpenetrating Polymer Network Hydrogels Based on Chitosan and Poly(acryl amide)

Semi‐interpenetrating polymer networks (semi‐IPNs) composed of chitosan and polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogels have been prepared, and the effect of changing pH, temperature, ionic concentration, and applied electric fields on the swelling of the hydrogels was investigated. The swelling kinetics increased rapidly, reaching equilibrium within 60 min. The semi‐IPN hydrogels exhibited a relatively high swelling ratios of 385%–569% at T=25°C. The swelling ratio increased with decreasing pH below pH=7 due to the dissociation of ionic bonds. The swelling ratio of the semi‐IPN hydrogels was pH, ionic concentration, temperature, and electric field dependent. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to determine the volume of free water in the semi‐IPN hydrogels, which was found to increase with increasing PAAm content.     

Kinetic study of chitosan‐tripolyphosphate complex reaction and acid‐resistive properties of the chitosan‐tripolyphosphate gel beads prepared by in‐liquid curing method

Chitosan gel beads were prepared using an in‐liquid curing method by the ionotropic crosslinking with sodium tripolyphosphate. Crosslinking characteristics of the chitosan‐TPP beads were improved by the modification of in‐liquid curing mechanism of the beads in TPP solution. Chitosan gel beads cured in pH value lower than 6 were really ionic‐crosslinking controlled, whereas chitosan gel beads cured in pH values higher than 7 were coacervation‐phase inversion controlled accompanied with slightly ionic‐crosslinking dependence. According to the result, significantly increasing the ionic‐crosslinking density of chitosan beads could be achieved by transferring the pH value of the curing agent, TPP, from basic to acidic. The swelling behavior of various chitosan beads in acid appeared to depend on the ionic‐crosslinking density of the chitosan‐TPP beads that were deeply affected by the curing mechanism of the beads. The mechanism of chitosan‐TPP beads swollen in weak acid was chain‐relaxation controlled, while the mechanism of chitosan‐TPP beads swollen in strong acid seem to be not only chain‐relaxation but also chain‐scission controlled. Chitosan‐TPP beads prepared in acidic TPP solution decreased the chain‐scission ability due to the increase of ionic crosslinking density of the beads. By the transition of curing mechanism, the swelling degree of chitosan‐TPP beads was depressed, and the disintegration of chitosan‐TPP beads would not occur in strong acid. The mechanism of ionic‐crosslinking reaction of chitosan beads could be investigated by an unreacted core model, and the curing mechanism of the chitosan beads is mainly diffusion controlled when higher than 5% of chitosan was employed. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 1551–1564, 1999     

Semi‐interpenetrating polymer networks composed of poly(N‐isopropyl acrylamide) and polyacrylamide hydrogels

Three series of semi‐interpenetrating polymer networks, based on crosslinked poly(N‐isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPA) and 1 wt % nonionic or ionic (cationic and anionic) linear polyacrylamide (PAAm), were synthesized to improve the mechanical properties of PNIPA gels. The effect of the incorporation of linear polymers into responsive networks on the temperature‐induced transition, swelling behavior, and mechanical properties was studied. Polymer networks with four different crosslinking densities were prepared with various molar ratios (25:1 to 100:1) of the monomer (N‐isopropyl acrylamide) to the crosslinker (methylenebisacrylamide). The hydrogels were characterized by the determination of the equilibrium degree of swelling at 25 °C, the compression modulus, and the effective crosslinking density, as well as the ultimate hydrogel properties, such as the tensile strength and elongation at break. The introduction of cationic and anionic linear hydrophilic PAAm into PNIPA networks increased the rate of swelling, whereas the presence of nonionic PAAm diminished it. Transition temperatures were significantly affected by both the crosslinking density and the presence of linear PAAm in the hydrogel networks. Although anionic PAAm had the greatest influence on increasing the transition temperature, the presence of nonionic PAAm caused the highest dimensional change. Semi‐interpenetrating polymer networks reinforced with cationic and nonionic PAAm exhibited higher tensile strengths and elongations at break than PNIPA hydrogels, whereas the presence of anionic PAAm caused a reduction in the mechanical properties. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3987–3999, 2004     

Charge‐Functionalized and Structurally Enhanced (Cryo)Hybrids from Acrylic (Co)Monomers and Kaolin: Altering Physicochemical Properties via Cryotropic Gelation

The potential to improve mechanical, structural, and mechanochemical properties of charge‐functionalized poly(N,N‐dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA)‐based hybrid cryogels is investigated. The simple and versatile synthesis of hybrid cryogels with high strength and toughness using cationic DMAEMA and ionic comonomer 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methyl‐1‐propane sulfonic acid has been proposed via in situ free‐radical crosslinking (cryo)polymerization by which the properties of virgin polymer can be modulated to required applications by incorporation of inorganic filler kaolin (KLN). Two factors affecting swelling and elasticity of hybrid gels (referred as PDA/KLNm), KLN content and gel preparation temperature, are studied. The optimum KLN concentration for desired swelling and modulus of elasticity is determined as 0.80% (w/v). Effective crosslinking density of hybrid hydrogels increases with KLN addition and this dependence is expressed by a quadratic polynomial as a function of KLN concentration. The results show that obtained hybrid gels with multiresponsive properties could be regarded as “smart materials” in sensing and actuation applications. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019 , 57, 1758–1778     

Effect of method of preparation and process variables on controlled release of insoluble drug from chitosan microspheres

An inexpensive and simple method was adopted for the preparation of chitosan microspheres, crosslinked with glutaraldehyde (GA), for the controlled release of an insoluble drug‐ibuprofen, which is a commonly used NSAID (non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug). The chitosan microspheres were prepared by different methods and varying the process conditions such as rate of stirring, concentration of crosslinking agent, and drug:polymer ratio in order to optimize these process variables on microsphere size, size distribution, degree of swelling, drug entrapment efficiency, and release rates. The absence of any chemical interaction between drug, polymer, and the crosslinking agent was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) techniques. The microspheres were characterized by optical microscopy, which indicated that the particles were in the size range of 30–200 µm and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies revealed a smooth surface and spherical shape of microspheres. The microsphere size/size distributions were increased with the decreased stirring rates as well as GA concentration in the suspension medium. Decreasing the concentration of crosslinker increased the swelling ratio whereas extended crosslinking exhibited lowered entrapment efficiency. The in vitro drug release was controlled and extended up to 10 hr. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

一种温敏萃取凝胶

本工作合成了一种温敏萃取凝胶,即N-异丙基丙烯酰胺与甲基丙烯酸钠的共聚物凝胶。分别考察了在合成凝胶时,离子剂用量和交联剂用量对凝胶溶胀性能的影响。还考察了在不同溶剂中和在酸、碱、盐存在下凝胶的溶胀情况,以及凝胶的再生性能。此种新温敏凝胶,于室温下在水中的溶胀比明显高于文献中报道的其他温敏凝胶,而且其再生性能良好,在水中溶胀皱缩反复到第10次时,其吸水性能无什么变化。     

Photocrosslinking of Polyglycidol and Its Derivative: Route to Thermoresponsive Hydrogels

Hydrogels of biologically well‐tolerated, high‐molar‐mass polyglycidol (PGl) and its thermoresponsive derivative poly(glycidol‐co‐ethyl glycidyl carbamate) have been obtained by direct UV crosslinking in the solid state. Polymers with molar masses up to 1.45 × 10⁶ g mol⁻¹ were crosslinked in the presence of benzophenone or (4‐benzoylbenzyl)trimethylammonium chloride as photosensitizers. The photosensitizer concentration was varied from 2 to 10 wt%. The influence of polymer composition and photosensitizer type and amount on the crosslinking efficiency, swelling and temperature behavior of the obtained hydrogels was investigated. The photocrosslinking of PGl and poly(glycidol‐co‐ethyl glycidyl carbamate) led to hydrogels with swelling degrees up to 1700%. The swelling degrees of the hydrogels decreased with the increase of the environmental temperature indicating the thermoresponsive nature of gels. The swelling of obtained gels can be controlled by varying the composition of the copolymer precursor and by the network density.     

Fabrication of poly(acrylamide) hydrogels with gradient crosslinking degree via photoinitiation of thick polymer system

In this paper, we report on the synthesis of poly(acrylamide) (PAM) hydrogels by photoinitiation with a thick system. The hydrogels exhibited gradient crosslinking density along the light path. Thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) proved the same effects. We investigated some factors affecting the swelling ratio of the hydrogels such as crosslinking agent concentration, photoinitiator concentration, and monomer concentration. The as‐prepared hydrogels might have some potential applications in drug delivery systems and other function materials. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of thermosensitive guar‐based hydrogels with tunable physico‐chemical properties by click chemistry

Thermosensitive guar‐based hydrogels are obtained in water solutions by copper‐catalyzed 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition between alkyne‐functionalized guars and α,ω‐diazido‐poly[(ethylene glycol)‐co‐(propylene glycol)]. Characterization by TGA, HR‐MAS ¹H NMR, and rheology have shown that hydrogels with tunable physico‐chemical properties, such as crosslinking density, viscoelasticity, swelling ratio, and so forth, could be obtained by varying the guar molar mass, the degree of alkyne functionality, the guar/crosslinker weight ratio, and the reaction temperature. Based on swelling measurements, it has been shown that the thermal sensitiveness of guar‐based hydrogels is fast, reversible, and intimately related to the weight fraction of the thermosensitive crosslinker in the network. Finally, the monitoring of doxorubicin hydrochloride release has demonstrated the potential of these hydrogels as temperature‐dependent drug release devices. The robust, efficient, and orthogonal approach described herein represents a general approach towards the development of well‐controlled guar‐based hydrogels using α,ω‐diazido crosslinkers. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 2733–2742, 2010     

Interpretation of the polyelectrolyte and antipolyelectrolyte effects of poly(N‐vinylimidazole‐co‐sodium styrenesulfonate) hydrogels

Hydrogels of N‐vinylimidazole (VI) and sodium styrenesulfonate (SSS) were synthesized in aqueous solution by radical crosslinking copolymerization with N,N′‐methylene‐bis(acrylamide) as crosslinker. Swelling in several saline solutions was measured for hydrogel samples synthesized with different comonomer concentrations (C_T = 10, 25, or 40%) and with SSS mole fractions covering a broad range (f_SSS = 0–0.7), while the crosslinker ratio was 2 wt % in all cases. The degree of swelling in aqueous solution with a specific ionic strength (μ), plotted versus the SSS composition of the feed, shows a minimum for any set of samples synthesized with a fixed C_T. The dependence of swelling on μ shows both polyelectrolyte (f_SSS beyond the minimum) and antipolyelectrolyte behaviors (in the low f_SSS limit). It was found that the nonGaussian factor of the crosslinking density and the polymer‐solvent interaction parameter increase with f_SSS for any C_T. Moreover, in the low f_SSS limit, the osmotic swelling pressure is governed not only by the ionic contribution, but also by the polymer‐solvent mixing and, the concentration of mobile counterions inside the gel is not proportional to the net fixed charge but to the addition of cationic and anionic side groups, what discards the formation of ionic pairs. The antipolyelectrolyte effect is interpreted as due to the increasing protonation of VI as μ goes up. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1683–1693, 2007     

Ionic effects in collapse of polyelectrolyte brushes

We investigated the effect of counterion valence on the structure and swelling behavior of polyelectrolyte brushes using a nonlocal density functional theory that accounts for the excluded-volume effects of all ionic species and intrachain and electrostatic correlations. It was shown that charge correlation in the presence of multivalent counterions results in collapse of a polyelectrolyte brush at an intermediate polyion grafting density. At high grafting density, the brush reswells in a way similar to that in a monovalent ionic solution. In the presence of multivalent counterions, the nonmonotonic swelling of a polyelectrolyte brush in response to the increase of the grafting density can be attributed to a competition of the counterion-mediated electrostatic attraction between polyions with the excluded-volume effect of all ionic species. While a polyelectrolyte brush exhibits an "osmotic brush" regime at low salt concentration and a "salted brush" regime at high salt concentration regardless of the counterion valence, we found a smoother transition as the valence of the counterions increases. As observed in recent experiments, a quasi-power-law dependence of the brush thickness on the concentration ratio can be identified when the monovalent counterions are replaced with trivalent counterions at a fixed ionic strength.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel carboxymethyl chitosan grafted polylactide hydrogels for controlled drug delivery

Novel carboxymethyl chitosan‐polylactide (CMCS‐g‐PLA) hydrogels were prepared by using 1‐(3‐dimethylaminopropyl)‐3‐ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride/N‐hydroxysuccinimide (EDC/NHS) as crosslinking agent and catalyst at room temperature. Solid‐state ¹³C‐NMR, SEM, and FT‐IR measurements showed that PLA blocks are successfully grafted onto the CMCS main chains. DSC measurements confirmed the effective crosslinking of carboxymethyl chitosan. With increasing the amount of EDC/NHS, the crosslink destiny of CMCS‐g‐PLA copolymers is improved. The swelling ratio of CMCS‐g‐PLA hydrogels is pH dependent, showing a minimum in the pH range of 3 to 5. Rheological studies confirmed the formation of hydrogels. The higher the crosslinking density, the higher the storage modulus of hydrogels. CMCS‐g‐PLA hydrogels only slightly degrade in PBS for 10 days. In the presence of lysozyme, however, hydrogels with low crosslink density are totally degraded in 10 days. Drug release studies show that after 96 h, 95% of thymopentin is released under in vitro conditions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Double‐crosslinked reversible redox‐responsive hydrogels based on disulfide–thiol interchange

We present novel redox‐responsive hydrogels based on poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) or poly(acrylamide), consisting of a reversible disulfide crosslinking agent N,N′‐bis(acryloyl)cystamine and a permanent crosslinking agent N,N′‐methylenebisacrylamide for microfluidic applications. The mechanism of swelling/deswelling behavior starts with the cleavage and reformation of disulfide bonds, leading to a change of crosslinking density and crosslinking points. Raman and ultraviolet‐visible spectroscopy confirm that conversion efficiency of thiol–disulfide interchange up to 99%. Rheological analysis reveals that the E modulus of hydrogel is dependent on the crosslinking density and can be repeatedly manipulated between high‐ and low‐stiffness states over at least 5 cycles without significant decrease. Kinetic studies showed that the mechanical strength of the gels changes as the redox reaction proceeds. This process is much faster than the autonomous diffusion in the hydrogel. Moreover, cooperative diffusion coefficient (D_coop) indicates that the swelling process of the hydrogel is affected by the reduction reaction. Finally, this reversibly switchable redox behavior of bulky hydrogel could be proven in microstructured hydrogel dots through short‐term photopatterning process. These hydrogel dots on glass substrates also showed the desired short response time on cyclic swelling and shrinking processes known from downsized hydrogel shapes. Such stimuli‐responsive hydrogels with redox‐sensitive crosslinkers open a new pathway in exchanging analytes for sensing and separating in microfluidics applications. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 2590–2601     

P(AMPS-co-BMA)水凝胶的电场敏感性及电刺激响应机理

以离子型单体2-丙烯酰胺-2-甲基丙磺酸(AMPS)及非离子型单体甲基丙烯酸丁酯为原料, 偶氮二异丁腈为引发剂, N,N′-亚甲基双丙烯酰胺为交联剂, N,N-二甲基甲酰胺为溶剂, 通过自由基聚合合成了一系列聚离子浓度不同的聚(2-丙烯酰胺-2-甲基丙磺酸-co-甲基丙烯酸丁酯)电场敏感性水凝胶. 研究了其在去离子水及NaCl溶液中的溶胀行为. 结果表明, 该水凝胶在去离子水中的平衡溶胀度在236.4~298.5之间, 其溶胀速率随着AMPS用量的增加而增加; 并且随着凝胶内部聚离子浓度的增加, 凝胶在NaCl溶液中的消溶胀速率及消溶胀度逐渐减小. 凝胶的电刺激响应性能研究结果表明, 在电场存在下, 凝胶在NaCl溶液中的溶胀行为与凝胶内部聚离子浓度和溶液中NaCl浓度的相对大小有关, 当凝胶内部聚离子浓度大于溶液中NaCl浓度时, 凝胶溶胀, 反之则凝胶消溶胀; 而且, 凝胶在电场作用下的偏转行为同样与凝胶内部聚离子浓度和溶液中NaCl浓度的相对大小有关, 当凝胶内部聚离子浓度大于溶液中NaCl浓度时, 偏向阴极, 反之则凝胶偏向阳极. 另外, 在电场存在下, 凝胶在NaCl溶液中的电偏转速度与环境温度密切相关.     

Modified carrageenan. 5. Preparation,swelling behavior,salt‐ and pH‐sensitivity of partially hydrolyzed crosslinked carrageenan‐graft‐polymethacrylamide superabsorbent hydrogel

The polysaccharide, kappa‐carrageenan (κC) was chemically modified to achieve a novel superabsorbent hydrogel via graft copolymerization of methacrylamide (MAM) onto the substrate followed by alkaline hydrolysis. Ammonium persulfate (APS) and N,N′‐methylene bisacrylamide (MBA) were used as a free‐radical initiator and a crosslinker, respectively. The saponification reaction was carried out using sodium hydroxide aqueous solution. Either κC‐g‐PMAM or hydrolyzed κC‐g‐PMAM (PMAM: polymethacrylamide) was characterized by FT‐IR spectroscopy. The effect of grafting variables (i.e. concentration of MBA, MAM, and APS) and alkaline hydrolysis conditions (i.e. NaOH concentration, hydrolysis time and temperature) were systematically optimized to achieve a hydrogel with swelling capacity as high as possible. The swelling capacity of these hydrogels was also measured in various salt solutions. Results indicated that the swelling ratios decreased with an increase in the ionic strength of the salt solutions. This behavior can be attributed to charge screening effect for monovalent cations, as well as ionic crosslinking for multivalent cations. Absorbency of superabsorbing hydrogels was examined in buffer solutions with pH range 1–13. Also, the pH reversibility and on–off switching behavior, at pH values 3.0 and 8.0, makes the synthesized hydrogels good candidates for controlled delivery of bioactive agents. Finally, swelling kinetics in distilled water and various salt solutions was preliminary investigated. Results showed that the swelling in water was faster than in saline solutions. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Efficient carbonyl hydrosilylation reaction: Toward EVA copolymer crosslinking

In this article, the hydrosilylation reaction of carbonyl groups of acetate derivatives and SiH groups of hydride‐terminated polydimethylsiloxane at high temperature (100–130 °C) are described. Triruthenium dodecacarbonyl, Ru₃(CO)₁₂, was used as effective catalyst for hydrosilylation reaction. The hydrosilylation reactions with octyl acetate and 4‐heptyl acetate were investigated by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy (¹H, ¹³C, and ²⁹Si). This work provides evidence of the addition reaction of SiH groups onto carbonyl groups. The influence of the nature of the acetate structure on the reaction kinetics was shown and the slight contribution of side reactions at high temperature highlighted. Hydrosilylation reaction was extent to the crosslinking of ethylene‐vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer in the same range of temperature. The formation of EVA chemical network was demonstrated by HR‐MAS NMR spectroscopy and by measuring the gel fraction of EVA chains in hot toluene. From Flory theory, the crosslinking density of elastic strand was calculated to be 80 mol m^?3 in agreement with the measurements from swelling ratio (VA/SiH molar ratio: 11.8). © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

External Stimuli Responsive Characteristics of Epoxy‐Polyamide/Starch Blend Films

Abstract

Polymeric films of varying crosslink densities and of different molar‐concentrations were prepared from the epoxidized oil/diglycedyl ether of bis‐phenol A (DGEBA) epoxy/polyamide/starch by blending at ambient temperature. The influences of external stimuli such as pH, temperature, ionic strength of the swelling media, and the type of buffer on the equilibrium swelling properties were investigated. Polymeric films showed a typical pH and temperature response such as low‐pH and low‐temperature have maximum swelling while a high‐pH and high‐temperature show almost complete deswelling. A change in the ionic strength of the swelling solution from 0.01 to 0.2 M caused a decrease in the equilibrium degree of swelling of polymeric films. Oscillatory swelling was also observed and investigated in response to changes in the pH of the solution. The morphology of selected polymeric films were explained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and correlated with mechanical strength.     

快速响应的温敏性聚(N-异丙基丙烯酰胺)水凝胶 Ⅱ.热力学行为及水的状态研究

对使用CaCO3为成孔剂合成的快速响应的温敏性聚 (N 异丙基丙烯酰胺 ) (PNIPA)水凝胶进行了热力学行为和水的状态研究 .热力学研究表明 ,多孔结构的PNIPA水凝胶的平衡膨胀比随着反应物中CaCO3含量的增加而增加 ,随着交联剂浓度的增加而显著减小 ,但相转变温度均不受影响 .在水溶液中加入NaCl则使PNIPA水凝胶的相转变温度 (LCST)线性减小 .利用DSC分析了水凝胶中水的存在状态 ,证明了上述多孔PNIPA水凝胶中存在三种不同状态的水 ,研究了不同CaCO3粒子含量和离子强度对三种不同状态水的影响     

Collapse in responsive hydrogels

The swelling and mechanical behaviour of ionic poly(acrylamide) networks formed using both positively and negatively charged crosslinkers or acrylamide quaternary ammonium salt of various alkyl lengths as comonomers is reviewed. The effect of the charge concentration, its polarity, crosslinking density and the strength of hydrophobic interactions (proportional to the alkyl length) on the occurrence and the extent of the first-order phase transition is discussed. The results are compared with the theory describing the swelling equilibria in polyelectrolyte networks.