Preparation and characterization of poly (N-isopropylacrylamide)/polyvinylamine core-shell microgels

In this paper, well-defined temperature- and pH-sensitive core-shell microgels were synthesized by graft copolymerization in the absence of surfactant and stabilizer. The microgel particles consisted of poly (N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm)) core crosslinked with N, N′-methylene-bisacrylamide (MBA) and polyvinylamine (PVAm) shell. The effect of MBA content and NIPAm/PVAm ratio on microgel size was investigated. SEM showed that the microgels were spherical and had narrow particle-size distribution. TEM images of the microgels clearly displayed well-defined core-shell morphologies. Zeta-potential measurement further elucidated that the microgels possessed positively charged PVAm molecules on the microgel surface. Turbidity measurement and ¹H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments indicated that the VPTT of microgels was the same as the LCST of PNIPAm. ¹H-NMR experiments also inferred that the methyl proton of N-isopropylacrylamide appeared three peaks and responded to hydrogen-bonding interaction including polymer chain with water molecular, intramolecular interaction and intermolecular interaction, respectively.     

On the structure of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) microgel particles

This investigation presents a study of the internal structure of poly(NIPAM/xBA) microgel particles (NIPAM and BA are N-isopropylacrylamide and N,N'-methylene bisacrylamide, respectively). In this study, x is the wt % of BA used during microgel synthesis. Two values of x were used to prepare the microgels, 1 and 10. The microgel dispersions were investigated using photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). These measurements were made as a function of temperature in the range 30-50 degrees C. Scattering maxima were observed for the microgels when the dispersion temperatures were less than their volume phase transition temperatures. The SANS data were fitted using a model which consisted of Porod and Ornstein-Zernike form factors. The analysis showed that the macroscopic hydrodynamic diameter of the microgel particles and the submicroscopic mesh size of the network are linearly related. This is the first study to demonstrate affine swelling for poly(NIPAM/xBA) microgels. Furthermore, the mesh size does not appear to be strongly affected by x. The data suggest that the swollen particles have a mostly homogeneous structure, although evidence for a thin, low segment density shell is presented. The study confirms that poly(NIPAM/xBA) microgel particles have a core-shell structure. The shell has an average thickness of approximately 20 nm for poly(NIPAM/1BA) particles which appears to be independent of temperature over the range studied. The analysis suggests that the particles contained approximately 50 vol % water at 50 degrees C. The molar mass of the poly(NIPAM/1BA) microgel particles was estimated as 6 x 10(9) g mol(-1).     

Poly(vinylpyridine) core/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) shell microgel particles: their characterization and the uptake and release of an anionic surfactant

The use of microgel particles for controlled uptake and release of active species has great potential. The compatibility of microgel particles with their environment and the functionality of the particles can be achieved by modification of the core microgel through the addition of a shell. In this work, core-shell microgel particles, with a pH-responsive core (polyvinylpyridine) and a temperature-responsive shell (poly-N-isopropylacrylamide), have been prepared and characterized. The uptake and release of an anionic surfactant from the microgels has been investigated as a function of solution pH and temperature. The results indicate that electrostatic attraction between the anionic surfactant and the cationically charged core of the microgel particles is the dominant mechanism for absorption of the surfactant into the core-shell microgel particles.     

Visualizing the interaction between poly-L-lysine and poly(acrylic acid) microgels using microscopy techniques: effect of electrostatics and peptide size

The interaction between lightly cross-linked poly(acrylic acid) (pAA) microgels (50-150 microm in diameter) and poly-L-lysine (pLys) was studied as a function of pH, ionic strength, peptide size, and concentration. The swelling response and distribution of polypeptides within microgel particles was monitored by micromanipulator-assisted light microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy, while binding isotherms of pLys in the microgels were determined spectrophotometrically. Conformational changes of pLys were investigated by circular dichroism. The molecular weight of pLys was found to influence the degree of peptide-induced microgel deswelling, largely due to limitation of peptides larger than the effective network mesh size to penetrate the entire gel. Large peptides were concentrated within a surface layer of the gel particles, and at low ionic strength this dense surface layer was shown to act as a largely steric barrier for further penetration of compounds into the gel core. Small peptides, however, distributed evenly throughout the microgel particles and were able to create large microgel volume reductions. The deswelling of microgels increased with decreasing pH, while the uptake of pLys was significantly reduced at low pH. The effect of ionic strength on the interactions of pLys and oppositely charged pAA microgels was moderate and only pronounced for deswelling of gels at high pH. A significant increase in the alpha-helix content of pLys interacting with the oppositely charged microgels was observed for high molecular weight peptides, and the extent of alpha-helix formation was as expected more pronounced at high pH, i.e., at high charge density of the microgels but reduced charge density of the peptides.     

Connection of poly(methyl methacrylate) microgel particles dispersed in poly(vinyl alcohol) matrix by seed polymerization

Poly(methyl methacrylate) microgels covered with poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) thin layer was dispersed in poly(vinyl alcohol) matrix. Homogeneous and regular arrangement of the microgel particles was suggested by Bragg diffraction for the films prepared by varying the PVA/microgel ratio (from 6/4 to 3/7 (w/w)). It was proved that the regular arrangement and connection of the microgels by seeded polymerization in poly(vinyl alcohol) were possible. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Interfacial nonradiative energy transfer in responsive core-shell hydrogel nanoparticles

Fluorescently labeled core-shell latex particles composed mainly of the thermoresponsive polymer poly-N-isopropylacrylamide (p-NIPAm) have been synthesized such that an energy transfer donor (phenanthrene) and an energy transfer acceptor (anthracene) are covalently localized in the core and shell, respectively. When the thermally induced particle deswelling is interrogated by photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS), a continuous (non-first order) phase transition is observed. Conversely, when the nonradiative energy transfer (NRET) efficiency is used to probe the collapse of these same particles, the phase transition event is observed to occur over a much smaller temperature range and approaches first-order (discontinuous) behavior. Furthermore, core-shell particles with differing shell thicknesses display identical phase transition temperatures when PCS is used to monitor the transition, while NRET measurements show a clear increase in collapse temperature as the shell thickness is increased. These apparently contradictory results are discussed in terms of a radial phase coexistence that exists in the microgel particles, which arises from a similarly radial inhomogeneity in the cross-linker concentration. The prospects for the NRET technique as a molecular-scale probe of nanostructured microgels are also discussed.     

微凝胶增强两性复合水凝胶的制备与性能

将核壳微凝胶包埋在两性基质中,制备了复合水凝胶(CAH)。 研究发现,利用微凝胶与聚合物链之间的物理缠结作用,可以使复合凝胶具有致密的网络结构,力学性能显著提高;复合凝胶对pH和离子强度敏感,呈现出典型的两性聚电解质凝胶的溶胀行为。 同时微凝胶的存在和特殊的复合结构,可赋予CAH两性凝胶基质所不具有的响应性,并实现在高温下快速响应。     

Poly(N-vinylcaprolactam-co-glycidyl methacrylate) aqueous microgels labeled with fluorescent LaF3:Eu nanoparticles

We describe the synthesis and properties of functional microgel particles based on poly(N-vinylcaprolactam-co-glycidyl methacrylate) (PVCL/PGMA) copolymer. A series of colloidally stable microgel particles with a range of glycidyl methacrylate content were prepared by surfactant-free heterophase polymerization in water. The microgel particles obtained had hydrodynamic radii between 250 and 350 nm and were fairly monodisperse in size; however, a broadening of the particle size distribution was observed for samples with a low GMA content. The PVCL/PGMA microgel particles exhibit thermally responsive reversible changes in diameter in water, and the swelling degree increased with the PVCL fraction in the copolymer structure. These microgels were then modified with photoluminescent europium-doped lanthanum fluoride nanoparticles (LaF3:Eu-AEP) through reaction of the 2-aminoethyl phosphate surface ligands with epoxy groups present in the microgel. These hybrid microgels were colloidally stable and thermally responsive in aqueous solution.     

含铅聚合物微凝胶与硫化氢反应前后在良溶剂中的分子扩散行为

用溶液聚合法制备出轻度交联的含铅微凝胶,用光子相关光谱技术测定其在良溶剂中与H2S反应前、后的扩散行为,由外推法得到在浓度无限稀时的分子扩散系数,给出微凝胶的流体力学半径。结果表明:相同量的含铅微凝胶在不同的初始浓度下与H2S反应,生成含PbS纳米微粒的凝胶；但其体积增大不同,这说明H2S与含铅微凝胶的反应既可以在分子内也可以在分子间进行,分子间的反应使含硫化铅微凝胶扩散系数随浓度的变化曲线的线性范围变小。     

铅离子敏感N-异丙基丙烯酰胺共聚物微凝胶的制备

采用对N-异丙基丙烯酰胺-丙烯酸共聚微凝胶进行改性的方法合成了含苯并18-冠-6功能基团的PNIPAM微凝胶.红外和核磁光谱等手段证明苯并18-冠-6基团被引入到微凝胶中.改性后的微凝胶仍具有很好的温敏性,但是相转变温度由改性前的30℃提高到42℃,并且溶胀度也大大增加.在不控制离子强度的条件下微凝胶的粒径随Na+浓度增加而减小,但是随Pb2+浓度增加微凝胶粒径先减后增.在控制离子强度不变的条件下Na+浓度对微凝胶的粒径影响很小,但是随Pb2+浓度增加微凝胶粒径明显增大,显示较强的铅离子敏感性。     

含铅聚合物微凝胶与硫化氢反应前后在良溶剂中的分子扩散行为

用溶液聚合法制备出轻度交联的含铅微凝胶,用光子相关光谱技术测定其在良溶剂中与H₂S反应前、后的扩散行为,由外推法得到在浓度无限稀时的分子扩散系数,给出微凝胶的流体力学半径。结果表明:相同量的含铅微凝胶在不同的初始浓度下与H₂S反应,生成含PbS纳米微粒的凝胶;但其体积增大不同,这说明H₂S与含铅微凝胶的反应既可以在分子内也可以在分子间进行,分子间的反应使含硫化铅微凝胶扩散系数随浓度的变化曲线的线性范围变小。     

Dynamic control of volume phase transitions of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) based microgels in water using hydrazide‐aldehyde chemistry

We demonstrate that the volume phase transition temperature (VPTT) of copolymer microgel particles made from N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm) and methacryloyl hydrazide (MH) can be tailored in a reversible manner upon the reaction of the hydrazide functional groups with aldehydes. The microgels were synthesized by precipitation polymerization in water. Due to the water‐soluble nature of the MH monomer, the VPTT at which the microgel particles contract shifts to higher values by increasing the incorporated amounts of methacryloyl hydrazide from 0 to 5.0 mol %. The VPTT of the copolymer microgel dispersions in water can be fine‐tuned upon addition of hydrophobic/hydrophilic aldehydes, which react with the hydrazide moiety to produce the hydrazone analogue. This hydrazone formation is reversible, which allows for flexible, dynamic control of the thermo‐responsive behavior of the microgels. The ability to “switch” the VPTT was demonstrated by exposing hydrophilic streptomycin sulfate salt incubated microgel particles to an excess of a hydrophobic aldehyde, that is benzaldehyde. The temperature at which these microgels contracted in size upon heating was markedly lowered in these aldehyde exchange experiments. Transformation into benzaldehyde hydrazone derivatives led to assembly of the microgel particles into small colloidal clusters at elevated temperatures. This control of supracolloidal cluster formation was also demonstrated with polystyrene particles which had a hydrazide functionalised microgel shell. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 1745–1754     

Equilibrium and kinetic aspects of the uptake of poly(ethylene oxide) by copolymer microgel particles of N-isopropylacrylamide and acrylic acid

The use of microgels for controlled uptake and release has been an area of active research for many years. In this work copolymer microgels of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and acrylic acid (AAc), containing different concentrations of AAc and also cross-linking monomer, have been prepared and characterized. These microgels are responsive to pH and temperature. As well as monitoring the equilibrium response to changes in these variables, the rates of swelling/de-swelling of the microgel particles, on changing either the pH or the temperature, have also been investigated. It is shown that the rate of de-swelling of the microgel particles containing AAc is much faster than the rate of swelling, on changing the pH appropriately. This is explained in terms of the relative mobilities of the H(+) and Na(+) ions, in and out of the particles. It was observed that the microgels containing AAc, at pH 8, de-swelled relatively slowly on heating to 50 degrees C from 20 degrees C. This is attributed to the resistance to collapse associated with the large increase in counterion concentration inside the microgel particles. The swelling and de-swelling properties of these copolymer microgels have also been investigated in aqueous poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) solutions, of different MW (2000-300 000). The corresponding absorbed amounts of PEO from solution onto the microgels have also been determined using a depletion method. The results, as a function of AAc content, cross-linker concentration, PEO MW, pH, and temperature, have been rationalized in terms of the ease and depth of penetration of the PEO chains into the various microgel particles and also the H-bonding associations between PEO and either the -COOH of the AAc moeities and/or the H of the amide groups (much weaker). Finally, the adsorption and desorption of the PEO molecules in to and out of the microgel particles have been shown to be extremely slow compared to normal diffusion time scales for polymer adsorption onto rigid surfaces.     

Water-swellable polyelectrolyte microgels polymerized in an inverse microemulsion using a nonionic surfactant

A series of poly(dimethylacrylamide-co-2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) microgels slightly crosslinked by methylene-bis-acrylamide (MBA) were polymerized in a novel inverse microemulsion polymerization (IMEP) system. To determine a suitable composition of the IMEP system, the phase diagram of a pseudoternary system was made. The pseudoternary polymerization system consisted of n-hexane, a nonionic surfactant (polyoxyethylene oleyl ether, C18En), and an aqueous monomer solution. Polymerization was performed in a single-phase reversed micelle solution. The reversed micelles were about 50 nm in diameter, as determined by FF-TEM. The viscometric characteristics of the polymers extracted from the IMEP system were studied in 3 mM sodium chloride aqueous solution. The intrinsic viscosity values for the noncrosslinked and crosslinked (0.1 mol% MBA was incorporated) samples were 25 and 7.4 dl/g, respectively. The overlap concentration (c*) of crosslinked polymer microgel occurred at c[eta] = 1 in the solvent. When the volume fraction (phi) of the microgel was 0.7, the value of the apparent yield stress of the microgel solution was observed. These results show that the microgel has a significant thickening effect above c* due to friction between the microgel particles. It is assumed that the microgels polymerized in a confined space retain the shape or size of the nanosized reactor with a diameter on the order of 50 nm.     

Hydroxyl functionalized thermosensitive microgels with quadratic crosslinking density distribution

N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPA) based uniform thermosensitive microgels were synthesized by dispersion polymerization by using relatively hydrophilic crosslinking agents with hydroxyl functionality. Glycerol dimethacrylate (GDMA), pentaerythritol triacrylate (PETA) and pentaerythritol propoxylate triacrylate (PEPTA) were used as crosslinking agents with different hydrophilicities. A protocol was first proposed to determine the crosslinking density distribution in the thermosensitive microgel particles by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The microgels were fluorescently labeled by using hydroxyl group of the crosslinking agent. The CLSM observations performed with the microgels synthesized by three different crosslinking agents showed that the crosslinking density exhibited a quadratic decrease with the increasing radial distance in the spherical microgel particles. This structure led to the formation of more loose gel structure on the particle surface with respect to the center. Then the use of hydrophilic crosslinking agents in the dispersion polymerization of NIPA made possible the synthesis of thermosensitive microgels carrying long, flexible and chemically derivatizable (i.e., hydroxyl functionalized) fringes on the surface by a single-stage dispersion polymerization. The microgels with all crosslinking agents exhibited volume phase transition with the increasing temperature. The microgel obtained by the most hydrophilic crosslinking agent, GDMA exhibited higher hydrodynamic diameters in the fully swollen form at low temperatures than those obtained by PETA and PEPTA. Higher hydrodynamic size decrease from fully swollen form to the fully shrunken form was also observed with the same microgel.     

葡萄糖敏感微凝胶的溶胀动力学研究

通过沉淀聚合法合成了P(NIPAM-co-AA)微凝胶,然后在EDC催化下用3-氨基苯硼酸对微凝胶进行改性,制备了P(NIPAMI-co-AAPBA)微凝胶.红外光谱检测证明改性完全.改性后的微凝胶仍具有很好的温敏性,但由于引入疏水的苯硼酸基团,微凝胶的体积相转变温度大大降低.P(NIPAM-co-AAPBA)微凝胶具...     

Functionalised Microgels for Acrylic Coatings

Summary: Aqueous acrylic dispersions of hydroxy-functionalised copolymer microgel particles crosslinked with allyl methacrylate were synthesized by emulsion polymerization. The microgels were investigated as reactive polymer fillers in mixtures with a water-borne film-forming dispersion. Properties of coatings cast from mixtures of aqueous dispersion of hard microgel particles and film-forming water-borne dispersion were investigated. The swelling behaviour of microgels in selected solvents (aliphatic ketones) as a function of microgel composition is discussed as well. It was found that the swelling ability of microgels decreased with growing degree of crosslinking. Microgels comprising copolymerised butyl methacrylate swelled less in aliphatic ketones than microgels without this comonomer. This work was focused mainly on the influence of microgels incorporated in the commercial solvent-borne acrylic binders on the properties of coatings. It was shown that the application of microgels that were redispersed in acetone did not affect the surface appearance and transparency of coatings. Moreover, the presence of microgel network precursors accelerated film curing at ambient temperature and improved the final hardness of coatings.     

Poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) microgel based assemblies for organic dye removal from water: microgel diameter effects

Poly (N-isopropylacrylamide)-co-acrylic acid (pNIPAm-co-AAc) microgel based assemblies (aggregates) were synthesized from microgels of various diameters via polymerization of the crosslinker N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (BIS) in the presence of microgels in solution. We investigated the ability of the respective aggregates to remove the organic, azo dye molecule 4-(2-hydroxy-1-napthylazo) benzenesulfonic acid sodium salt (Orange II) from water at both room and elevated temperatures. The results from the microgel aggregates made from 1.1-μm-diameter [Parasuraman and Serpe. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2011] microgels were compared to aggregates synthesized from 321-nm and 1.43-μm-diameter microgels. Aggregates made from the same size microgels showed increased uptake efficiency as the concentration of BIS in the aggregates was increased, while for a given BIS concentration, the uptake efficiency increased with increasing microgel size in the aggregate. We attribute this to the “nature” of the aggregates; aggregates have void space between the microgels that can serve as reservoirs for Orange II uptake—the void spaces are hypothesized to increase with larger diameter microgels. By exploiting the thermoresponsive nature of the microgels, and microgel based aggregates, 85.3 % removal efficiencies can be achieved. Finally, all uptake trends for the aggregates, at room temperature, were fit with a Langmuir sorption isotherm model.     

Preparation of spherical nanostructured poly(methacrylic acid)/PbS composites by a microgel template method

Spherical poly(methacrylic acid)/PbS (PMAA/PbS) composites with a fishnet-like surface and core-shell structure were prepared by a microgel template method. The composites were prepared in two steps. Pb(Ac)(2) was dissolved in MAA solution before it was polymerized into microgels in an inverse suspension system. In this way, Pb(2+) was trapped within the microgel network. Then, H(2)S was introduced slowly into the system, and the metal ions were deposited within the microgels as PbS. The presence of PbS was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric measurements, and the morphology of the composites was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that the surface structure of the microparticles depends largely on the nature of the continuous phase of the system. The microparticles from xylene have a fishnet-like surface structure, and the inner structure and composition of the particles are different from the outer structure and composition. The surface of the particles from cyclohexane, however, appears smoother and denser than the surface of the particles from xylene. The different structure of the particle surfaces from the two systems has been attributed to the differences in template structure.     

Flow of microgel capsules through topographically patterned microchannels

We investigated the flow dynamics of microgel capsules in topographically patterned microfluidic devices. For microgels flowing through channel constrictions, or orifices, we observed three phenomena: (i) the effect of confinement, (ii) the role of interactions between the microgels and the channel surface, and (iii) the effect of the velocities of microgels prior to their passage through an orifice. We studied negatively charged alginate microgels and positively charged alginate microgels coated with N-(2-hydroxy)propyl-3-trimethylammonium chitosan chloride (HTCC). Aqueous dispersions of microgels were driven through poly(dimethyl siloxane) microchannels carrying a weak negative surface charge. The velocity of the continuous phase, and hence, the velocity of the microgels increased as they passed through topographically patterned orifices. Alginate microgels were observed to have a larger increase in velocity relative to HTCC-coated alginate microgels. This effect, which was attributed to electrostatic attraction or repulsion, was found to be strongest for orifices with dimensions close to the microgel diameter. For example, when 75 microm-diameter microgels flowed through a 76 microm orifice, alginate gels (negatively charged) experienced a 2x greater increase in velocity than HTCC-coated (positively charged) microgels. This effect was exaggerated at lower initial flow rates. For example, when 75 microm-diameter microgels flowed through an 80 microm orifice, a two-fold difference in the velocity changes of the two microgel types was observed when the initial flow rate was 275 microm s(-1), while a three-fold difference in velocity changes was observed when the initial flow rate was 130 microm s(-1). We speculate that these studies will be useful for modeling the flow of suspensions of cells or other biologically relevant particles for a wide range of applications.