Structure and swelling-release behaviour of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and acrylic acid (AAc) copolymer hydrogels prepared by gamma irradiation

Copolymer network hydrogels were prepared by gamma irradiation of aqueous solutions of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and acrylic acid monomer (AAc). The composition of the final hydrogels compared to the composition of the initial preparation solutions of hydrogels was determined. The chemical structure and nature of bonding was characterized by IR spectroscopy analysis, while the thermal durability of the prepared hydrogels was assessed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The kinetic swelling in water and the pH-sensitivity of PVP/AAc copolymer hydrogels was studied. The drug release properties of PVP/AAc hydrogels taking methyl orange indicator as a drug model was investigated. The IR spectra indicate the formation of copolymer networks, whereas the TGA study showed that the PVP/AAc hydrogels possess higher thermal stability than pure PAAc and lower than PVP hydrogels. The kinetic swelling in water showed that all the hydrogels reached equilibrium after 24 h and that the degree of swelling increases with increasing the ratio of AAc in the initial feeding solutions. It was found that the degree of swelling of PVP/AAc hydrogels increases greatly within the pH range 4-7 depending on composition.     

Synthesis and characterization of thermoresponsive hydrogels cross-linked with chitosan

Hydrogels composed of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) and acrylic acid (AAc) were prepared by redox polymerization with degradable chitosan cross-linkers. Chitosan degradable cross-linkers were synthesized by the acrylation of the amine groups of glucosamine units within chitosan and characterized with ¹H NMR. With the chitosan cross-linkers, loosely cross-linked poly(N-isopropylacryamideco-acrylic acid) [P(NIPAAm-co-AAc)] hydrogels were prepared, and their phase transition behavior, lower critical solution temperature (LCST), water content and degradation properties were investigated. The chitosan cross-linked P(NIPAAm-co-AAc) hydrogels were pliable and transparent at room temperature. The LCST could be adjusted at 32∼39°C by alternating the feed ratio. Swelling was influenced by NIPAAm/AAc monomer ratio, cross-linking density, swelling media, and temperature. All hydrogels with different feeding ratios contained more than 95% water at 25°C in the ultra pure water and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, pH = 7.4 ± 0.1), and had a prospective swelling in the simulated gastric fluids (SGF, pH = 1.2) > 72.54%. In degradation studies, breakdown of the chitosan cross-linked P(NIPAAm-co-AAc) hydrogels was dependent on the cross-linking density. The chitosan cross-linked P(NIPAAm-co-AAc) hydrogels which can be tailored to create environmentally-responsive artificial extracellular materials have great potential for future use.      

Radiation Synthesis of Superabsorbent Hydrogels Based on Chitosan and Acrylic Acid for Controlled Drug Release

Superabsorbent hydrogels based on the natural polymer chitosan and acrylic acid (CS/AAc) was prepared using ⁶⁰Co gamma radiation as a source of initiation and crosslinking. The factors, which affect the preparation of CS/AAc hydrogels such as irradiation dose, CS/AAc ratios, and acrylic acid monomer concentrations, to get the best optimum conditions, were investigated. The kinetic studies of the swelling of CS/AAc hydrogel showed that it follows a Fickian type of water diffusion. The Fickian constant value ‘n’ was more than 0.5 with a high swelling capacity of 300 g/g as superabsorbent hydrogel. In addition, the suitability of CS/AAc hydrogel as carrier material for the drug Chlortetracycline-HCl has been investigated by adsorption isotherm studies. The performance of drug release from hydrogel systems, influenced by acrylic acid ratio and the effect of pH of the medium was studied.     

Radiation synthesis of acrylic acid/polyethyleneimine interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) hydrogels and its application as a carrier of atorvastatin drug for controlling cholesterol

Gamma irradiation was used to form interpenetrating polymer networks structure (IPNs) hydrogels based on different ratios of acrylic acid monomer (AAc) and polyethyleneimine (PEI). The property-behavior was characterized by IR spectroscopy, gel content, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and swelling in water at room temperature and different pH values. The AAc/PEI hydrogels were used as a carrier for atorvastatin drug, in which the uptake-release character was studied. The results showed that the gel content of AAc/PEI hydrogels decreased greatly with increasing the ratio of PEI in the initial feeding solution. The AAc/PEI hydrogels displayed pH-sensitive character. The drug uptake-release study indicated that AAc/PEI hydrogels possessed controlled release behavior and that the release process depends on pH. In this respect, the release of atorvastatin drug was significant in acidic medium.     

Characterization of Starch/Acrylic Acid Super‐Absorbent Hydrogels Prepared by Ionizing Radiation

Copolymerization of acrylic acid (AAc) and gelatinized maize starch in aqueous medium using γ‐irradiation, followed by neutralization with alkali solution was carried out. The preparation conditions, such as irradiation dose and starch/AAc compositions were investigated. The higher the irradiation dose, as well as the AAc content in the feed solution, the higher the gel content. The copolymers were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, thermo‐gravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM revealed that the higher the dose, the lower the copolymer pore size. Starch/AAc copolymers have thermal stability higher than that for starch and poly acrylic acid individually. The swelling of starch/AAc hydrogels reduced as the gel content increases. The maximum water absorption obtained for starch/AAc hydrogels in distilled water was 200 g/g, and for neutralized starch/AAc hydrogels was 350 g/g. The swelling ratio of starch/AAc hydrogels of different compositions in NaCl solution is lower than that obtained in distilled water. The results suggest that the neutralized starch/AAc hydrogels have a high swelling property, and can be used in a variety of commercial applications.     

Adsorption of Uranyl Ions into Poly(Acrylamide‐co‐Acrylic Acid) Hydrogels Prepared by Gamma Irradiation

Acrylamide (AAm)/Acrylic Acid (AAc) copolymers have been prepared by gamma irradiation of binary mixtures at three different compositions where the acrylamide/acrylic acid mole ratios varied around 15, 20, and 30%. Threshold dose for 100% conversion of monomers into hydrogels was found to be 8.0 kGy. Poly(Acrylamide‐co‐Acrylic Acid) (poly(AAm‐co‐AAc)) hydrogels have been considered for the removal of uranyl ions from aqueous solutions. Swelling behavior of these hydrogels was determined in distilled water at different pH values and in aqueous solutions of uranyl ions. The results of swelling tests at pH 8.0 indicated that poly(AAm‐co‐AAc) hydrogel, containing 15% acrylamide showed maximum % swelling. Diffusion of water and aqueous solutions of uranyl ion into hydrogels was found to be non‐Fickian in character and their diffusion coefficients were calculated. The effect of pH, composition of hydrogel, and concentration of uranyl ions on the adsorption process were studied at room temperature. It was found that one gram of dry poly(AAm‐co‐AAc) hydrogel adsorbed 70–320 mg and 70–400 mg uranyl ions from aqueous solutions of uranyl nitrate and uranyl acetate in the initial concentration range of 50–1500 mg UO₂ ²⁺L^?, depending on the amount of AAc in the hydrogels, respectively. Adsorption isotherms were constructed for poly(AAm‐co‐AAc)–uranyl ion system indicating an S type of adsorption in the Giles classification system. It is concluded that crosslinked poly(AAm‐co‐AAc) hydrogels can be successfully used for the removal of uranyl ions from their aqueous solutions.     

Aam/Aac水凝胶对碱性藏花红染料的吸附特性研究

以丙烯酰胺(AAm)、丙烯酸(AAc)合成了单体配比分别为1，2、1／1、2，1的AAm/AAcc水凝胶，采用分光光度计法研究了此水凝胶对水溶性单价阳离子染料碱性藏花红的吸附特性，测定了它们的吸附动力学曲线和吸附等温线：探讨了水凝胶单体组成对该染料吸附性能的影响：并且用静电场理论解释了解吸后水凝胶更优的再吸附特性，研究表明，AAm，AAc水凝胶可作为染料污水处理中一种良好的吸附剂。     

Swelling behaviors of thermoresponsive hydrogels cross-linked with acryloyloxyethylaminopolysuccinimide

Based on a biodegradable cross-linker, acryloyloxyethylaminopolysuccinimide (AEA-PSI), a series of looser cross-linked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) [P(NIPAAm-co-AAc)] hydrogels were prepared, and their water content, swelling/deswelling kinetics, and the morphology of the gels were investigated. The swelling behaviors of AEA-PSI-cross-linked P(NIPAAm/AAc) hydrogels were investigated in Dulbecco’s phosphate-buffered saline (pH = 7.4), in the distilled water, and in the simulated gastric fluids (pH = 1.2), respectively. The water contents of the hydrogels were controlled by the monomer molar ratio of NIPAAm/AAc, swelling media, and the temperature. In the swelling kinetics, all the dried hydrogels exhibited fast swelling behavior, and the swelling ratios were influenced significantly by the amounts of AEA-PSI and AAc content. The deswelling kinetics of the hydrogel were independent of the content of AAc and cross-linker. Lastly, the morphology of the hydrogels was estimated by the field scan electron microscopy.     

Synthesis and characterization of thermoresponsive hydrogels cross-linked with acryloyloxyethylaminopolysuccinimide

Biodegradable cross-linkers acryloyloxyethylaminopolysuccinimide (AEA-PSI) were obtained by microwave irradiation using maleic anhydride as materials. With AEA-PSI cross-linker, cross-linked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) [P(NIPAAm-co-AAc)] hydrogels were prepared, and their phase transition behavior, lower critical solution temperature (LCST), water content, thermodynamics stability, and enzymatic degradation properties were investigated. By alternating the NIPAAm/AAc molar ratio, hydrogels were synthesized to have LCST in the vicinity of 37 °C. The LCST of AEA-PSI-cross-linked P(NIPAAm-co-AAc) hydrogels was significantly influenced by monomer ratio of the NIPAAm/AAc but not by the cross-linking density within the polymer network. The water content of AEA-PSI-cross-linked P(NIPAAm-co-AAc) hydrogels was more than 90% even at 37 °C, which was controlled by the monomer molar ratio of NIPAAm/AAc, swelling media, and the cross-linking density. The thermodynamics stability was also characterized by thermogravimetry. In enzymatic degradation studies, breakdown of the AEA-PSI-cross-linked P(NIPAAm-co-AAc) hydrogels was dependent on the cross-linking density. Submitted to Colloid and Polymer Science, 2007-1-28.     

Loading and release of charged dyes using ultrathin hydrogels

The anionic dyes methyl orange (MO) and allura red (AR) were used as model drugs to assess the loading and release by layer-by-layer assembled ultrathin hydrogels prepared via the amide formation of poly(acrylic acid-co-N-isopropylacrylamide) with AAc contents of 5, 10, and 15 mol % plus poly(vinylamine hydrochloride). The amount of MO loaded was potentially controlled by changing the dye concentrations, film thickness, and AAc content of the copolymers. The release of AR was controlled by the NaCl concentration and pH. We conclude that the polymeric matrices of ultrathin hydrogels have great potential for the loading and release of charged drugs.     

Removal of Pb2+ and Cd2+ ions from aqueous solutions using guanidine modified hydrogels

In this study, experimental measurements have been made on the batch adsorption of cadmium and lead ions from aqueous solutions using poly(guanidine modified 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropan sulfonic acid/acrylic acid/N‐vinylpyrrolidone/2‐Hydroxyethyl methacrylate), P(AMPSG/AAc/NVP/HEMA) hydrogels. The guanidyl end group bearing AMPSG monomer was synthesized from the reaction of AMPS and guanidine. The hydrogels were prepared by UV‐curing technique. The morphology of the dry H10‐hydrogel sample was examined by SEM. The influence of the uptake conditions, such as pH, functional monomer per cent, contact time, initial feed concentration, and foreign metal ions on the metal ion binding capacity of hydrogel, was also tested. The selectivity of the hydrogel toward the different metal ions tested was Hg(II) > Pb(II) > Au(III) > Cd(II). The adsorption isotherm models were applied to the experimental data, and it was seen that the Langmuir isotherm model was the best fit for the adsorption of Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions on P(AMPSG/AAc/NVP/HEMA) hydrogel. It was found that adsorbed lead and cadmium ions on P(AMPSG/AAc/NVP/HEMA) hydrogel can be effectively desorbed by acid leaching and the regenerated P(AMPSG/AAc/NVP/HEMA) hydrogel can be reused almost five times less without any loss of adsorption capacity. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Removal of Some Pesticides from Aqueous Solutions using PVP/(AAc-co-Sty) Hydrogels Prepared by Gamma Radiation

Poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)/(acrylic acid-co-styrene) [PVP/(AAc-co-Sty)] hydrogels were prepared by γ-irradiation to design as adsorptive systems. The adsorption of agricultural pesticides Fluometuron (FH), Thiophanate Methyl (TF) and Trifluralin (TI) on radiation-induced graft copolymeric adsorbents has been studied. The prepared hydrogels were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the thermal properties were studied by using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The ionic character of the prepared hydrogel was improved by treatment with alkaline (NaOH), sulfonation (Sf) and alkaline/sulfonation (NaOH/Sf). The swelling as a function of PVP concentration, AAc/Sty composition, irradiation dose, temperature and pH were studies. The adsorption of pesticides on the hydrogel matrix under different conditions was studied to determine which factors have the most affect and control the adsorption capacity of hydrogel. AAc/Sty composition, type of pesticide, temperature, concentration and pH of pesticide feed solution are greatly affect the pesticide uptake. It was found that the prepared hydrogels have a great efficiency to recover the pesticides from their solutions, the maximum pesticide uptake was found to be in the sequence: TI > TF > FH. The results concluded that the alkaline/sulfonation- treated PVP/(AAc-co-Sty) hydrogels possess high efficiency for removal of pesticides.     

Swelling Kinetics of Interpenetrating Polymer Hydrogels Composed of Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)/Chitosan

Interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogels based on poly(vinyl alcohol)/chitosan were prepared by UV irradiation. The swelling behavior of the IPN hydrogels was studied by immersion of the films in deionized water at various temperatures and in buffer solutions at various pHs. IPN3 exhibited a relatively high swelling ratio. The swelling ratio increased with an increase in the content of chitosan and were higher in acidic rather than in alkaline pHs. The overall swelling process was anomalous diffusion due to polymer relaxation. The diffusion coefficient values increased with an increase in temperature and the content of chitosan.     

Swelling kinetics of poly(aspartic acid)/poly(acrylic acid) semi‐interpenetrating polymer network hydrogels in urea solutions

Semi‐interpenetrating network (semi‐IPN) hydrogels, composed of poly(aspartic acid) (PAsp) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAAc) with various ratios of PAsp to AAc, were prepared. In this work, swelling kinetics was investigated through calculating some parameters. The swelling ratios were measured at room temperature, using urea solutions as liquids to be absorbed. Compared to in deionized water, the hydrogels showed larger swelling ratios in urea solutions, which might be attributed to the chemical composition of urea. The equilibrium swelling ratio could achieve 600 g/g, and the equilibrium urea/water contents were more than 0.99. The diffusion exponents were between 0.5 and 0.7, suggesting that the solvent transport into the hydrogel was dominated by both diffusion and relaxation controlled systems. Therefore, the PAsp/PAAc semi‐IPN hydrogels were appropriate to carry substances in a urea/water environment for pharmaceutical, agricultural, environmental, and biomedical applications. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 666–671, 2010     

Characterization of stimuli-sensitive polymers for biomedical applications

Stimuli-sensitive polymers were synthesized by copolymerizing varying ratios of N-isopropyl acrylamide(NIPAAm) and acrylic acid(AAc). The influence of polyelectrolytes on the lower critical solution temperatures(LCSTs) of these temperature/pH sensitive polymers was investigated in the pH range of 2-12. Polyelectrolyte complexes were prepared by mixing poly(NIPAAm-co-AAc) as anionic polyelectrolyte with poly(allyl amine)(PAA) or poly(L-lysine)(PLL) as cationic polyelectrolytes, respectively. Back titration was performed to determine the pK_a values of PAAc in poly(NIPAAm-co-AAc) and to study the effect of comonomer ionization on the cloud point temperature. The effect of polyelectrolyte complex formation on the conformation of PLL was studied as a function of temperature by means of circular dichroism(CD). The swelling ratio of poly(NIPAAm-co-AAc) hydrogels as a function of pH at various temperature was obtained by measuring the weight of the hydrogels in buffer solutions. The LCSTs of the poly(NIPAAm-co-AAc) were strongly affected by pH, polyelectrolyte solutes, AAc content, and charge density. The influence of more hydrophobic PLL as a polyelectrolyte on the cloud point of PNIPAAm/water in the copolymer was stronger than that of poly(allyl amine)(PAA). Indomethacin was loaded into these hydrogels, and controlled release of this molecule from the hydrogel was determined under various temperature and pH conditions using UV/Vis spectrophotometry.     

pH快速响应PNIPAAm-co-PAAc水凝胶的制备及溶胀动力学

pH快速响应PNIPAAm-co-PAAc水凝胶的制备及溶胀动力学;N-异丙基丙烯酰胺;pH敏感性;溶胀历史     

壳聚糖-碳纳米管/壳聚糖半互穿网络水凝胶的机械性能及pH敏感性

为制备具有较高机械性能的壳聚糖凝胶, 设计将壳聚糖-碳纳米管复合物引入壳聚糖凝胶网络. 以戊二醛为交联剂, 采用冷冻干燥的方法制备了一系列壳聚糖-碳纳米管/壳聚糖半互穿网络凝胶. 测试了凝胶的机械性能, 考察了凝胶在不同pH值缓冲溶液中的去溶胀和溶胀行为. 实验结果表明, 添加壳聚糖-碳纳米管复合物的凝胶与普通壳聚糖凝胶相比机械强度明显增加, 而凝胶本身的pH敏感性不受影响.     

Radiation preparation and characterization of pH-sensitive hydrogel of acrylic acid/cyclodextrin based copolymer

A β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) based monomer (MAH-β-CD) containing vinyl and carboxyl functional groups was synthesized by reaction of β-CD with maleic anhydride (MAH). A novel hydrogel, poly(AAc-co-MAH-β-CD) with pH and ionic strength sensitivities, was prepared by irradiating the aqueous solution mixture of acrylic acid (AAc) and MAH-β-CD with electron beam. The effect of the feed ratio of the components and irradiation dose on the swelling and deswelling properties of the hydrogel was studied, respectively, the effect of pH and ionic strength on the swelling ratio was determined. Experimental results showed that these copolymer hydrogels did not show any noticeable change in swelling ratio at lower pH range (pH 1–3). However they showed an abrupt increase in swelling ratio at the range of pH 3–6, due to the ionization of carboxyl groups. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer was applied in the attenuated total reflectance (ATR) mode for analyzing the structure change of the hydrogels after the treatment of different pH buffer solutions.     

Synthesis and Characterization of pH‐sensitive Poly(IA‐co‐AAc‐co‐AAm) Hydrogels via Frontal Polymerization

In this work, we report a series of poly(itaconic acid‐co‐acrylic acid‐co‐acrylamide) (poly(IA‐co‐AAc‐co‐AAm)) hydrogels via frontal polymerization (FP). FP starts on the top of the reaction mixture with aid of heating provided from soldering iron gun. Once polymerization initiated, no further energy is required to complete the process. The influences of IA/AAc weight ratios on frontal velocities, temperatures, and conversions on the reaction time are thoroughly investigated and discussed where the amount of AAm monomer remains constant. Fourier transform‐infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscope (SEM), dynamic mechanical analysis, and the swelling measurement are applied to characterize the as‐synthesized poly(IA‐co‐AAc‐co‐AAm) hydrogels. Interestingly, the swelling ratios of the hydrogels are changed with different IA/AAc contents, and the maximum swelling ratios are ~4439% in water. SEM images describe highly porous morphologies and explain good swelling capabilities. Moreover, the poly(IA‐co‐AAc‐co‐AAm) hydrogels exhibit superior pH‐responsive ability. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 2214–2221     

Synthesis and Properties of Hydrogels Based on Chitosan and Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Crosslinked by Genipin

Semi‐interpenetrating polymeric networks of chitosan and poly(vinyl alcohol) [PVA] were prepared by varying the ratio of the constituents. The hydrogels were crosslinked using genipin, a naturally occurring nontoxic cross‐linking agent. The swelling behavior of these hydrogels was studied by immersing the films in deionized water at various temperatures and in buffer solutions of different pH. The states of water in the hydrogels, swollen at 25°C and pH 7, were determined using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The swelling behavior of the gels was found to be dependent on temperature and pH of the medium. The amount of freezing water in the swollen hydrogels increased, whereas the amount of nonfreezing bound water remained more or less the same with increasing PVA concentration.