Thermoresponsive hydrogel of poly(glycidyl methacrylate‐co‐N‐isopropylacrylamide) as a nanoreactor of gold nanoparticles

The synthesis of a thermoresponsive hydrogel of poly(glycidyl methacrylate‐co‐N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PGMA‐co‐PNIPAM) and its application as a nanoreactor of gold nanoparticles are studied. The thermoresponsive copolymer of PGMA‐co‐PNIPAM is first synthesized by the copolymerization of glycidyl methacrylate and N‐isopropylacrylamide using 2,2′‐azobis(isobutyronitrile) as an initiator in tetrahydrofuran at 70 °C and then crosslinked with diethylenetriamine to form a thermoresponsive hydrogel. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the thermoresponsive hydrogel is about 50 °C. The hydrogel exists as 280‐nm spheres below the LCST. The diameter of the spherical hydrogel gradually decreases to a minimum constant of 113 nm when the temperature increases to 75 °C. The hydrogel can act as a nanoreactor of gold nanoparticles because of the coordination of nitrogen atoms of the crosslinker with gold ions, on which a hydrogel/gold nanocomposite is synthesized. The LCST of the resultant hydrogel/gold nanocomposite is similar to that of the hydrogel. The size of the resultant gold nanoparticles is about 15 nm. The hydrogel/gold nanocomposite can act as a smart and recyclable catalyst. At a temperature below the LCST, the thermoresponsive nanocomposite is a homogeneous and efficient catalyst, whereas at a temperature above the LCST, it becomes a heterogeneous one, and its catalytic activity greatly decreases. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 2812–2819, 2007     

热敏性高分子包裹的磁性微球的合成

磁性高分子微球由于其在外加磁场作用下简单、快速易行的磁分离特性，其在细胞分离、固定化酶、靶向药物等领域的应用研究日益活跃，并显示出较好的应用前景［１］．有关文献报道了制备磁性微球的不同方法［２］．Ｎ 异丙基丙烯酰胺（Ｎ ｉｓｏｐｒｏｐｙｌａｃｒｙｌａ...     

微波法制备聚(苯乙烯-N-异丙基丙烯酰胺)热敏性微球

聚(N-异丙基丙烯酰胺)(PNIPAM),由于其大分子链上同时具有亲水性的酰氨基和疏水性的异丙基,使得PNIPAM的水溶液,在32℃附近具有最低临界溶液温度(LCST)．PNIPAM及其共聚物表现出相转变,产生热敏性质．利用PNIPAM的热敏性质,可以制备多种智能高分子材料．这些高分子材料在生物医学、免疫分析、     

Core-shell magnetite nanoparticles surface encapsulated with smart stimuli-responsive polymer: synthesis, characterization, and LCST of viable drug-targeting delivery system

We describe here the synthesis of a novel magnetic drug-targeting carrier characterized by a core-shell structure. The core-shell carrier combines the advantages of a magnetic core and the stimuli-responsive property of the thermosensitive biodegradable polymer shell (e.g., an on-off mechanism responsive to external temperature change). The composite nanoparticles are approximately 8 nm in diameter with approximately 3 nm shell. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) is approximately 38 degrees C as determined by UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The carrier is composed of cross-linked dextran grafted with a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N,N-dimethylacrylamide) [dextran-g-poly(NIPAAm-co-DMAAm)] shell and superparamagnetic Fe3O4 core. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the composition of the carrier. The synthesized magnetic carrier system has potential applications in magnetic drug-targeting delivery and magnetic resonance imaging.     

Extinction coefficient of gold nanoparticles with different sizes and different capping ligands

Extinction coefficients of gold nanoparticles with core size ranging from approximately 4 to 40 nm were determined by high resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis and UV-vis absorption spectroscopic measurement. Three different types of gold nanoparticles were prepared and studied: citrate-stabilized nanoparticles in five different sizes; oleylamide-protected gold nanoparticles with a core diameter of 8 nm, and a decanethiol-protected nanoparticle with a diameter of around 4 nm. A linear relationship between the logarithms of extinction coefficients and core diameters of gold particles was found independent of the capping ligands on the particle surface and the solvents used to dissolve the nanoparticles. This linear relation may be used as a calibration curve to determine the concentration or average size of an unknown nanoparticle or nanoparticle-biomolecule conjugate sample.     

Double hydrophilic block copolymer monolayer protected hybrid gold nanoparticles and their shell cross-linking

This paper describes the syntheses of core/shell gold nanoparticles stabilized with a monolayer of double hydrophilic block copolymer and their stimuli responsiveness before and after shell cross-linking. The hybrid nanoparticles consist of gold core, cross-linkable poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMA) inner shell, and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) corona. First, diblock copolymer PEO-b-PDMA was prepared via the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) technique using a PEO-based macroRAFT agent. The dithioester end group of PEO-b-PDMA diblock copolymer was reduced to a thiol end group. The obtained PEO-b-PDMA-SH was then used to prepare diblock copolymer stabilized gold nanoparticles by the "grafting-to" approach. 1,2-Bis(2-iodoethoxy)ethane (BIEE) was utilized to selectively cross-link the PDMA residues in the inner shell. The stimuli responsiveness and colloidal stability of core/shell gold nanoparticles before and after shell cross-linking were characterized by laser light scattering (LLS), UV-vis transmittance, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). At pH 9, the average hydrodynamic radius Rh of non-cross-linked hybrid gold nanoparticles starts to increase above 35 degrees C due to the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) phase behavior of the PDMA blocks in the inner shell. In contrast, Rh of the shell cross-linked gold nanoparticles were essentially independent of temperature. Core/shell gold nanoparticles before and after shell cross-linking exhibit reversible swelling on varying the solution pH. Compared to non-cross-linked core/shell gold nanoparticles, shell cross-linking of the hybrid gold nanoparticles leads to permanent core/shell nanostructures with much higher colloidal stability and physically isolates the gold core from the external environment.     

Dielectrophoretic trapping of nanoparticles with an electrokinetic nanoprobe

A high aspect ratio 3D electrokinetic nanoprobe is used to trap polystyrene particles (200 nm), gold nanoshells (120 nm), and gold nanoparticles (mean diameter 35 nm) at low voltages (<1 V_rms). The nanoprobe is fabricated using room temperature self‐assembly methods, without the need for nanoresolution lithography. The nanoprobe (150–500 nm in diameter, 2–150 μm in length) is mounted on the end of a glass micropipette, enabling user‐specified positioning. The nanoprobe is one electrode within a point‐and‐plate configuration, with an indium–tin oxide cover slip serving as the planar electrode. The 3D structure of the nanoprobe enhances dielectrophoretic capture; further, electro‐hydrodynamic flow enhances trapping, increasing the effective trapping region. Numerical simulations show low heating (1 K), even in biological media of moderate conductivity (1 S/m).     

阳离子化热响应微凝胶的合成及在二氧化硅矿化中的应用

采用无皂乳液聚合技术,在亚甲基双丙烯酰胺(MBA)为交联剂的情况下,N-异丙基丙烯酰胺(NIPAM)与甲基丙烯酰氧乙基三甲基氯化铵(DMC)发生共聚,生成具有阳离子功能化的热响应微凝胶poly-(NIPAM-co-DMC).TEM研究表明该微凝胶粒子的粒径约为200 nm左右,具有规则的球形形态.DLS和1H-NMR研究证实了微凝胶粒子的最低临界溶液温度(LCST)在34℃左右.进一步以此微凝胶为模板,在中性条件下,以四甲氧基硅烷(TMOS)为硅源,在此模板上仿生沉积S iO2,生成poly(NIPAM-co-DMC)/S iO2杂化纳米粒子.FTIR、TEM、1H-NMR及TGA等研究表明S iO2在聚合物模板上发生了沉积.能谱分析进一步证明了S iO2主要分布在杂化纳米粒子的壳层区域.另外,当矿化反应温度高于微凝胶的LCST值时,体系生成了具有明显核壳结构的异形杂化粒子.     

热敏性高分子包裹的磁性微球的性质及表征

利用扫描电镜、红外光谱、元素分析仪、热分析及激光散射粒径分析仪等手段对合成得到的Ｆｅ３Ｏ４／Ｐ（Ｓｔ ＮＩＰＡＭ）（ＰＳＮ） 和ＰＳＮＮ 微球的形貌、结构、磁响应性和热敏特性等进行了表征,结果表明微球的粒径分布呈正态分布,共聚物微球的Ｔｇ 随ＮＩＰＡＭ 组分的增加而升高,ＰＳＮ 和ＰＳＮＮ 微球均具有较强的磁响应性,其流体动力学粒径随温度的升高而减小．     

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) grafted into nanopores: Thermo-responsive behaviour in the presence of different salts

Surface initiated polymerization of N(isopropylacrylamide) (NIPAM) was performed by controlled radical polymerization on PET track-etched membranes presenting two different pore diameters (narrow pores: ∼80 nm and large pores: ∼330 nm). The opening and closing characteristics of the resulting PNIPAM-g-PET membranes were investigated by conductometric measurements carried out at different temperatures below and above the LCST of PNIPAM and in the presence of different salts. Depending on the membrane pore size, two types of permeation control mechanisms are observed. In large pore membranes, expanded PNIPAM chains conformations result in reduced effective pore size and therefore lower permeabilities relative to collapsed macromolecules chain conformations. In contrast, in narrow pore membranes, the expanded PNIPAM brush presents greater degrees of hydration in the surface layer and therefore gives rise to higher permeabilities than the collapsed conformation. In this situation, the overall permeability is thus comparable to that of a hydrogel membrane.     

Salt-tuned phase separation of poly(S-co-Nipam) core-shell particles via interfacial in situ polymerization

In this study, temperature-sensitive amphiphilic core-shell nanoparticles of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) were prepared via interfacial in situ polymerization of styrene (S) and NIPAM. Oil soluble cumene hydroperoxide (CHPO) oxidizer and water soluble reductant iron(II) sulfate (FS), polyurethane and hexadecane were used as interfacial initiation pair, surfactant and co-stabilizer, respectively. Radicals are produced and initiate polymerization only when the CHPO and FS are present at oil/water interface. FT-IR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy confirmed the co-polymerization of these monomers. The core-shell structure with a diameter 150 nm was corroborated by TEM and FESEM. DSC analysis showed the existence of two glassytransition temperatures of the resulting particles. Salt-tuned phase separation behavior of poly(S-co-NIPAM) core-shell particles has been studied by dynamic light scattering. The lower critical solution temperature of the core-shell particles decreased linearly as a function of NaCl concentration that was attributed to the “salt out effect”. The variation of particle diameter showed a sigmoidal plot as a function of temperature regardless of the salt concentration.     

Preparation of thermosensitive polymer nanoparticles by protein-mimetic cross-linking

Thermosensitive nanoparticles were prepared by mimicking protein folding where polymer aggregates were formed by precipitation of thermosensitive polymer chains followed by disulfide formation of their thiol groups. N-Isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and methacryloxy succinimide (SuMA) were co-polymerized and then cysteamine was allowed to react with succinimide moieties of the polymer to render thiol moieties. A polymer aqueous solution precipitated to form nano-sized aggregates by increasing temperature above its lower critical solution temperature (LCST), and their sizes were monodispersed and tunable by the polymer concentration. The aggregates were cross-linked to produce nanoparticles by oxidation of thiol groups in a manner similar to formation of a disulfide bond of protein. As a result, the cross-linked nanoparticles exhibited swelling by decreasing temperature below the LCST of the copolymer. Fluorescein and bovine serum albumin (BSA) were chosen as a small and a large substance, respectively, and were encapsulated into the swollen nanoparticles at 25?°C. Fluorescein was rapidly released from both swollen and shrunken nanoparticles. Although BSA exhibited little release at any temperatures, it was released from nanoparticles by adding the reducing agent to dissociate the disulfide cross-linking and incubating below the LCST.     

Host-guest interactions in the supramolecular incorporation of fullerenes into tailored holes on porphyrin-modified gold nanoparticles in molecular photovoltaics

Novel gold nanoparticles modified with a mixed self-assembled monolayer of porphyrin alkanethiol and short-chain alkanethiol were prepared (first step) to examine the size and shape effects of surface holes (host) on porphyrin-modified gold nanoparticles. The porphyrin-modified gold nanoparticles with a size of about 10 nm incorporated C60 molecules (guest) into the large, bucket-shaped holes, leading to the formation of a supramolecular complex of porphyrin-C60 composites (second step). Large composite clusters with a size of 200-400 nm were grown from the supramolecular complex of porphyrin-C60 composites in mixed solvents (third step) and deposited electrophoretically onto nanostructured SnO2 electrodes (fourth step). Differences in the porphyrin:C60 ratio were found to affect the structures and photoelectrochemical properties of the composite clusters in mixed solvents as well as on the SnO2 electrodes. The photoelectrochemical performance of a photoelectrochemical device consisting of SnO2 electrodes modified with the porphyrin-C60 composites was enhanced relative to a reference system with small, wedged-shaped surface holes on the gold nanoparticle. Time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy with fluorescence lifetime measurements suggest the occurrence of ultrafast electron transfer from the porphyrin excited singlet states to C60 or the formation of a partial charge-transfer state in the composite clusters of supramolecular complexes formed between porphyrin and C60 leading to efficient photocurrent generation in the system. Elucidation of the relationship between host-guest interactions and photoelectrochemical function in the present system will provide valuable information on the design of molecular devices and machines including molecular photovoltaics.     

Preparation of submicrometer-sized monodispersed thermoresponsive core-shell hydrogel microspheres

We have successfully prepared monodispersed thermoresponsive core-shell hydrogel microspheres with a mean diameter of 200-400 nm with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-styrene) [P(NIPAM-co-St)] cores and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) shells. The submicrometer-sized monodispersed P(NIPAM-co-St) core seeds were prepared by using a surfactant-free emulsion polymerization method, and the PNIPAM shell layers were fabricated onto the core seeds by using a seed polymerization method. The particle size, morphology and monodispersity, and thermoresponsive characteristics of the prepared microspheres were experimentally studied. In the preparation of P(NIPAM-co-St) seeds, with increasing the initiator dosage, the mean diameters and the dispersal coefficients were almost at the same levels at first; however, when the initiator dosage increased further to a critical amount, the mean diameters decreased drastically and the monodispersity became worse significantly. With increasing the stirring rate, the particle diameter decreased, and when the stirring rate was larger than 600 rpm, the monodispersity became worse obviously. With increasing the phase ratio, the mean diameter became larger simply, and the monodispersity became worse first and then became better again. With increasing the reaction time, the particle sizes nearly did not change, while the monodispersity gradually became better slightly. For the core-shell microspheres, with increasing the NIPAM dosage in the preparation of the PNIPAM shell layers, the mean diameters became larger simply, the monodispersity became better, and the thermoresponsive swelling ratio of the hydrodynamic diameters increased.     

A novel thermoresponsive hydrogel with ion-recognition property through supramolecular host-guest complexation

A novel thermoresponsive hydrogel with ion-recognition property was prepared via free-radical cross-linking copolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) with benzo-18-crown-6-acrylamide (BCAm) as host receptor. Both chemical structures and stimuli-sensitive properties of the prepared poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-benzo-18-crown-6-acrylamide) P(NIPAM-co-BCAm) hydrogel were characterized. The smart hydrogel could respond to both temperature and ion stimuli. When the crown ether units captured Ba2+ and formed stable BCAm/Ba2+ host-guest complexes, the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the hydrogel increased due to the repulsion among charged BCAm/Ba2+ complex groups and osmotic pressure within the hydrogel. Whereas crown ethers captured Cs+, the LCST shifted to a lower temperature because of the formation of 2:1 sandwich complexes. Unexpectedly, the LCST of the cross-linked P(NIPAM-co-BCAm) hydrogel in K+ solution did not shift to a higher temperature, which was definitely different from the previously reported linear P(NIPAM-co-BCAm) copolymer in K+ solution. The results of this work provide valuable information for development of dual thermo- and ion-responsive hydrogels which have potential applications in drug controlled-release systems or biomedical fields.     

交联度对原位聚合法制备聚合物胶束性质的影响及相应的空心球制备

用原位聚合法成功地制备出不同响应温度的温敏性聚乳酸/聚(异丙基丙烯酰胺-co-丙烯酰胺)[P(D,L-LA)/P(NIPAM-co-AM)]核壳胶束. 实验中发现, 壳层的交联剂含量对粒子的尺寸有很大的影响, 当交联剂的摩尔分数从5%提高到15%时, 粒子在25 ℃时的流体力学直径从170.2 nm增加到886.5 nm. 通过对胶束粒子的核进行生物降解, 方便地得到了相应的空心球. 用FTIR监测核的降解过程, 用SEM和AFM检测核降解完全后粒子的外在形貌和内在结构变化. DLS结果表明, 空心球粒子同样具有良好的温度响应性, 其响应温度可通过改变原位聚合时单体AM的含量加以调节.     

Botryoidal assembly of cholesteryl-pullulan/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) nanogels

Hybrid nanogels consisting of cholesteryl-modified pullulan (CHP) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) were synthesized by graft free-radical copolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) onto methacryloyl-substituted CHP nanogels (CHPMA) in water at 50 degrees C in the presence of a water-soluble free radical initiator. Depending on the initial NIPAM/CHPMA ratio, CHP-PNIPAM (CN) nanogels containing 30.8-84.8 wt % PNIPAM were obtained in the form of self-assembled nanoparticles with a hydrodynamic radius (Rh) of 69.0-116.0 nm in water kept at 20 degrees C. Hybrid nanogels of sufficiently high NIPAM content, such as the sample CN90, which contains 79.6 wt % NIPAM, exhibited a two-step response to changes in solution (3 mg/mL) temperature: a decrease in Rh from 93 to 57 nm as the temperature increased from 20 to 35 degrees C, followed by a sharp increase in Rh from 57 nm to 90 nm at 55 degrees C. Both steps in this temperature response were reversible. The multistep response to temperature of the CN nanogels was attributed to the morphology of the nanogels, which are seen as consisting of grape-like (botryoidal) clusters of associated native nanogels held together via cholesteryl cross-linking points and held together by the grafted PNIPAM chains.     

Fluorescent or not? Size-dependent fluorescence switching for polymer-stabilized gold clusters in the 1.1-1.7 nm size range

The synthesis of fluorescent water-soluble gold nanoparticles by the reduction of a gold salt in the presence of a designed polymer ligand is described, the size and fluorescence of the particles being controlled by the polymer to gold ratio; the most fluorescent nanomaterial has a 3% quantum yield, a 1.1 nm gold core and a 6.9 nm hydrodynamic radius.     

含金刚烷基的N-异丙基丙烯酰胺共聚物水凝胶的制备和性能研究

合成了含金刚烷基的甲基丙烯酸金刚烷酯(AdMA)疏水单体,并通过与N-异丙基丙烯酰胺(NIPAM)共聚,制备了温敏性的(P(NIPAM-co-AdMA))共聚物水凝胶.用傅里叶变换红外光谱仪(FTIR)表征了凝胶的化学结构,用环境扫描电镜(ESEM)对凝胶断层结构的形貌进行了观察,用DSC测试了凝胶的体积相转变温度(LCST),并研究了共聚水凝胶的溶胀性能.结果表明,共聚物水凝胶的LCST能够高效地通过改变疏水单体的含量来调节,在实验所考察的范围内,LCST随AdMA含量的增加而线性降低;疏水单体的含量对凝胶的孔洞结构和溶胀性能存在一最优值,在最优的单体配比下,水凝胶具有均匀规整的大孔结构和超快的响应速率.如疏水单体含量为3%(AdMA∶NIPAM=3%)的共聚物水凝胶具有如渔网般均匀的多孔结构,当发生去溶胀时,在5min内就可以失去92%的水,不到10min的时间就可以完全达到去溶胀平衡,水保留率在4%以下.     

Temperature-responsive magnetite/PEO-PPO-PEO block copolymer nanoparticles for controlled drug targeting delivery

In this study, temperature-responsive magnetite/polymer nanoparticles were developed from iron oxide nanoparticles and poly(ethyleneimine)-modified poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO) block copolymer. The particles were characterized by TEM, XRD, DLS, VSM, FTIR, and TGA. A typical product has an approximately 20 nm magnetite core and an approximately 40 nm hydrodynamic diameter with a narrow size distribution and is superparamagnetic with large saturation magnetization (51.34 emu/g) at room temperature. The most attractive feature of the nanoparticles is their temperature-responsive volume-transition property. DLS results indicated that their average hydrodynamic diameter underwent a sharp decrease from 45 to 25 nm while evaluating the temperature from 20 to 35 degrees C. The temperature-dependent evolution of the C-O stretching band in the FTIR spectra of the aqueous nanoparticles solution revealed that thermo-induced self-assembly of the immobilized block copolymers occurred on the magnetite solid surfaces, which is accompanied by a conformational change from a fully extended state to a highly coiled state of the copolymer. Consequently, the copolymer shell could act as a temperature-controlled "gate" for the transit of guest substance. The uptake and release of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic model drugs were well controlled by switching the transient opening and closing of the polymer shell at different temperatures. A sustained release of about 3 days was achieved in simulated human body conditions. In primary mouse experiments, drug-entrapped magnetic nanoparticles showed good biocompatibility and effective therapy for spinal cord damage. Such intelligent magnetic nanoparticles are attractive candidates for widespread biomedical applications, particularly in controlled drug-targeting delivery.