Magnetic polymer nanocomposites for environmental and biomedical applications

Hybrid nanomaterials have received voluminous interest due to the combination of unique properties of organic and inorganic component in one material. In this class, magnetic polymer nanocomposites are of particular interest because of the combination of excellent magnetic properties, stability, and good biocompatibility. Organic–inorganic magnetic nanocomposites can be prepared by in situ, ex situ, microwave reflux, co-precipitation, melt blending, and ceramic–glass processing and plasma polymerization techniques. These nanocomposites have been exploited for in vivo imaging, as superparamagnetic or negative contrast agents, drug carriers, heavy metal adsorbents, and magnetically recoverable photocatalysts for degradation of organic pollutants. This review article is mainly focused on fabrication of magnetic polymer nanocomposites and their applications. Different types of magnetic nanoparticles, methods of their synthesis, properties, and applications have also been reviewed briefly. The review also provides detailed insight into various types of magnetic nanocomposites and their synthesis. Diverse applications of magnetic nanocomposites including environmental and biomedical uses have been discussed.     

Nanostructured polymer gels

A brief review of our recent work on polymer gel opals is given in memory of late Professor Tanaka. The central idea is to first synthesize monodisperse polymer gel nanoparticles, then self-assemble them into a 3D network, and eventually covalently bond them. The covalent bonding contributes to the structural stability, while self-assembly provides them with crystal structures that diffract light, resulting in colors. N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPA) gel has been used as a model system for this study. The nanostructured NIPA gel, which contain up to 97 wt% water, displays a striking iridescence like precious opal but are soft and flexible like gelatin.     

Smart nanocomposite polymer gels

The combination of polymers with nanomaterials displays novel and often enhanced properties compared to the traditional materials. They can open up possibilities for new technological applications. The magnetic polymer gel represents a new type of composites consisting of small magnetic particles, usually from the nanometer range to the micron range, dispersed in a highly elastic polymeric gel matrix. Combination of magnetic and elastic properties leads to a number of striking phenomena that are exhibited in response to impressed magnetic fields. Giant deformational effects, high elasticity, anisotropic properties, temporary reinforcement and quick response to magnetic field open new opportunities for using such materials for various applications.     

Magnetic resonance imaging of spiral patterns in crosslinked polymer gels produced via frontal polymerization

Frontal polymerization is a process in which a localized reaction zone propagates through a monomer reactant mixture, leaving a polymer product in its wake, and is the result of the coupling of the thermal transport and Arrhenius dependence of the exothermic polymerization. Under most conditions, a planar front is stable. However, for multifunctional acrylates at room temperature, fronts may propagate in a helical fashion along the axis of the reactor. This front propagation is typical of what is called a spin mode, in which the subsequent polymer sample has alternating spiral patterns of low and high monomer conversion evident on the sample surface. For the first time, we demonstrate that magnetic resonance imaging on a submillimeter scale can be used to show that the spiral patterns are not restricted to the sample surface but are distributed throughout the volume. Samples were soaked in water, and the transverse proton relaxation times were imaged. The results suggest proton mobility is smaller in the high‐conversion region in which the hot spot propagated than in the low‐conversion region. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 1075–1080, 2001     

Osmotic deswelling of polymer gels

The osmotic deswelling of polymer networks swollen in a good solvent by transferring it into a solution of a linear polymer in the same solvent is investigated using the modified Flory model proposed previously. The predicted results obtained using this simple model are compared to the experimental data available in the literature. We further examine the variation of the degree of deswelling, the degree of swelling and the partition coefficient with the molecular weight, and the volume fraction of the linear polymer chains in the surrounding polymer solution. Also, the role of the packing factor is briefly discussed.© 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 2525–2535, 1998     

Inhomogeneity control in polymer gels

Inhomogeneities, that is, nonrelaxing frozen concentration fluctuations, are inevitably present in polymer gels because they are introduced during the crosslinking of the constituent polymer chains in a solvent. Therefore, inhomogeneities increase as the number of crosslinks increases in a gel. The ionization of polymer gels is one of the methods used to suppress inhomogeneities. However, because crosslinking also means a freezing‐in of the conformation and topology of polymer chains in a solvent according to the chemistry of crosslinking, inhomogeneity control is quite sophisticated. In this article, we discuss the relationship between the inhomogeneities and the molecular/environmental parameters of polymer gels, such as the polymer concentration, the degree of crosslinking, the degree of ionization, and the interaction parameter, by considering the memory effect of gels. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 617–628, 2005     

Viscoelastic scaling in polymer gels

New scaling laws for chain networks are derived to describe the fundamental relationships between the viscosity exponent (k), viscoelastic exponent (m), stretched exponent (β), spatial dimension (d). fractal dimension (d_f), and a universal constant (γ). The scaling of the total number of monomers and the radius of gyration is defined by d_f. We have discovered γ = m/β to be a universal constant which relates the shear modulus of a polymer gel melt to the shear modulus near the glass transition. Analyzing the size-dependent shear viscosity, we have determined γ = 3d_fcd/(7d−5d_fc) = 2.647 for d = 3 where d_fc is the fractal dimension of critical clusters at the gel point. By using γ, the present theory extends previous work pertaining to systems near the sol-gel transition, and shows how properties far from the critical point can be explained. The theoretical prediction is in good agreement with viscoelastic measurements.     

Liquid flow through polymer gels

Slow neutron transmission technique was applied to investigate features of the solvent flow through quasi-porous matrices of gelatin, poly (acrylamide) and silica gels of different concentration/mesh sizes. We find the macromolecular friction coefficient for all gels to be proportional to the concentration of polymer network which correlates well with the predictions of the effective medium approach under the condition of negligible impact of hydrodynamic self-interactions. Determined values of the friction coefficient are used for evaluating the effective mesh sizes, which are in good agreement with the appropriate results of quasi-elastic light scattering for homogeneous poly (acrylamide) gels.     

Concentration polydispersity in polymer gels

For swollen polymer networks there is no generally accepted relation between the macroscopic osmotic properties and the scattering behaviour. Detailed information on the relationship between these properties can, however, be deduced from complementary measurements of osmotic and elastic behaviour, small angle neutron and X-ray scattering (SANS and SAXS) and quasi-elastic light scattering. We describe such an investigation in two types of networks, differing in the mechanism of cross-linking. The SANS spectra yield information on the structure, which is generated both by the dynamics of the system and by long range static constraints. The former, arising from thermodynamic concentration fluctuations, governs the macroscopic osmotic and elastic moduli of the swollen network. The static superstructure in the gel reflects local variations in the cross-link density. The resulting concentration polydispersity, <δφ²>/φ², is determined by the details of the cross-linking procedure. Its concentration dependence as a function of gel swelling can be expressed in terms of the same macroscopic osmotic and elastic variables as those that govern the thermodynamic properties of the gel.     

Ion aggregation in polymer gels

This brief review deals with our early experimental studies of ion aggregation in polymer gels proceeding via the condensation of counterions on the oppositely charged monomer units of the network with the formation of ion pairs and their clustering into multiplets. The two particular cases of the emergence of ion aggregates are considered: (a) for monovalent counterions in media of low polarity and (b) for multivalent counterions in water.     

Review on recent and advanced applications of monoliths and related porous polymer gels in micro-fluidic devices

This review critically summarises recent novel and advanced achievements in the application of monolithic materials and related porous polymer gels in micro-fluidic devices appearing within the literature over the period of the last 5 years (2005-2010). The range of monolithic materials has developed rapidly over the past decade, with a diverse and highly versatile class of materials now available, with each exhibiting distinct porosities, pore sizes, and a wide variety of surface functionalities. A major advantage of these materials is their ease of preparation in micro-fluidic channels by in situ polymerisation, leading to monolithic materials being increasingly utilised for a larger variety of purposes in micro-fluidic platforms. Applications of porous polymer monoliths, silica-based monoliths and related homogeneous porous polymer gels in the preparation of separation columns, ion-permeable membranes, preconcentrators, extractors, electrospray emitters, micro-valves, electrokinetic pumps, micro-reactors and micro-mixers in micro-fluidic devices are discussed herein. Procedures used in the preparation of monolithic materials in micro-channels, as well as some practical aspects of the micro-fluidic chip fabrication are addressed. Recent analytical/bioanalytical and catalytic applications of the final micro-fluidic devices incorporating monolithic materials are also reviewed.     

Self-oscillatory systems based on polymer gels

Chemical and mechanical oscillations arising when the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction is performed in composite gels based on polyacrylamide and silica gel and gels of poly(acrylamide-co-sodium acrylate) have been investigated. The catalyst of the reaction can be incorporated into a gel through electrostatic interactions. Mechanical and absorption properties of polymer matrices are characterized, and the periods and amplitudes of mechanical oscillations arising in them are estimated. The mechanism of the phenomenon under consideration is advanced.     

Self-oscillating swelling and deswelling of polymer gels

Novel gel systems demonstrating rhythmically pulsatile mechanical motion similar to that of a heartbeat were developed. Self-oscillations of swelling and deswelling for the polymer hydrogels were realized by coupling pH and temperature sensitive hydrogels with a non-linear chemical reaction in the external solution media. The novel gel dynamics exhibiting cyclic and rhythmical oscillations may establish a new concept for functional materials that work under dynamic oscillating states.     

Dynamic scaling of polymer gels comprising nanoparticles

We present dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements of soft poly(methyl-methacrylate) (PMMA) and polyacrylamide (PA) polymer gels prepared with trapped bodies (latex spheres or magnetic nanoparticles). We show that the anomalous diffusivity of the trapped particles can be analyzed in terms of a fractal Gaussian network gel model for the entire time range probed by DLS technique. This model is a generalization of the Rouse model for linear chains extended for structures with power law network connectivity scaling, which includes both percolating and uniform bulk gel limits. For a dilute dispersion of strongly scattering particles trapped in a gel, the scattered electric field correlation function at small wavevector ideally probes self-diffusion of gel portions imprisoning the particles. Our results show that the time-dependent diffusion coefficients calculated from the correlation functions change from a free diffusion regime at short times to an anomalous subdiffusive regime at long times (increasingly arrested displacement). The characteristic time of transition between these regimes depends on scattering vector as approximately q(-2), while the time decay power exponent tends to the value expected for a bulk network at small q. The diffusion curves for all scattering vectors and all samples were scaled to a single master curve.     

Mechanochemical energy conversion of neutral polymer gels

Mechanochemical energy conversion exhibited by water-swollen poly(vinyl alcohol) gels has been studied. The effective mechanical work produced as well as the chemical energy converted were measured simultaneously. It is shown theoretically and experimentally that the mechanical work developed during the swelling of the mechanochemical system increases with increase of the external load (m), the degree of cross-linking (DC) and the deswelling ratio (ϕ/ϕ_e, i.e. the ratio of the volume fraction of network polymer (ϕ) to that of the same gel in equilibrium with pure diluent (ϕ_e)). The chemical energy converted was found to be practically independent of m. The efficiency of energy conversion increased with increase of m and DC, and significantly decreased with increase of ϕ/ϕ_e. Comparison is made between theoretical predictions and experimental findings.     

Magnetic polymer beads: Recent trends and developments in synthetic design and applications

The paper describes the synthesis, properties and applications of magnetic polymer beads. State-of-the-art, future challenges, and promising trends in this field are analyzed. New applications in oil recovery are described.     

High swelling gels for sensing applications

Crosslinked hydrophilic polymers of different chemical structures can be used as sensor coatings for the detection of gaseous analytes. If their crosslink density is low, these materials behave in aqueous media as soft hydrogels with high swelling capacity. From a physico-mechanical standpoint, they are amorphous rubber-like materials, with high flexibility of their macromolecular chains. This property is particularly significant in view of applications in the sensors field, because it favours diffusion of the analyte molecules through the coating layer. This paper deals with the application of poly(ethylene glycols) (PEG)- and poly(N-vinylpyrrolidinone) (PVP)-based crosslinked resins as relative humidity (RH) sorbing materials, and of a poly(amidoamine)(PAA)-based resin as SO₂-sorbing material. The electronic devices used for evaluating the sorption capability of these polymeric coatings were gravimetric resonant sensors. Resins of various crosslink density, and therefore of various swelling ratios in water, were purposely prepared and characterized. Thin coating, layers, prepared by casting from dilute aqueous suspensions of the resins, previously micronized in water, were used for sorption experiments. All experiments were performed in controlled RH and temperature environments.     

Intelligent polymer gels controlled by magnetic fields

 In this paper we summarise the effects induced by electric and magnetic fields on the mobility and shape of polymer gels containing a complex fluid as a swelling agent. Magnetic-field-sensitive gel beads and monolith gels have been prepared by introducing magnetic particles of colloidal size into chemically cross-linked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) and poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels. The influence of uniform and nonuniform fields has been studied. In uniform magnetic fields the gel beads form straight chainlike structures, whereas in nonhomogeneous fields the beads aggregates due to the magnetophoretic force directed to the highest field intensity. The ability of magnetic-field-sensitive gels to undergo quick, controllable changes in shape can be used to mimic muscular contraction. Received: 26 July 1999/Accepted: 27 August 1999     

Metal complex catalysts immobilized in polymer gels

A number of polymer gels have been prepared using tertiary ethylene‐propylene‐ethylidenenorbomene copolymer as a rubber base with grafted poly‐4‐vinylpyridine, polymethacrylic acid and polymethacrylamide ligand chains. The grafted copolymers were crosslinked and complexes of nickel, zirconium and titanium were immobilized in the formed crosslinked copolymers. After treatment with organoaluminium compounds the obtained catalysts demonstrate high catalytic activity in the reactions of dimerization of lower olefins. Structures of the complexes and the catalytic activity of the gel immobilized catalysts have been investigated.