Thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) nanogels/poly(acrylamide) nanostructured hydrogels

Here we report the preparation and characterization of nanostructured thermo-responsive poly(acrylamide) (PAM)-based hydrogels. The addition of slightly crosslinked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) nanogels to AM reactive aqueous solution produces nanostructured hydrogels that exhibit a volume phase transition temperature (T_VPT). Their swelling kinetics, T_VPT's and mechanical properties at the equilibrium-swollen state (H_eq) are investigated as a function of the concentration of PNIPA nanogels in the nanostructured hydrogels. Nanostructured hydrogels with PNIPA nanogels/AM mass ratios of 20/80 and above exhibit higher H_eq and longer time to reach the equilibrium swelling than those of the conventional PAM hydrogels. However, the PNIPA nanogels possess thermo-responsive character missing in conventional PAM hydrogels. The T_VPT of nanostructured hydrogels depends on PNIPA nanogel content but their elastic and Young moduli are larger than those of conventional hydrogels at similar swelling ratios. Swelling kinetics, T_VPT, and mechanical properties are explained in terms of the controlled in-homogeneities introduced by the PNIPA nanogels during the polymerization.     

Rapid deswelling of sodium alginate/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) semi-interpenetrating polymer network hydrogels in response to temperature and pH changes

In this study, temperature-/pH-responsive semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) hydrogels based on linear sodium alginate (SA) and cross-linked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) were prepared. The semi-IPN hydrogels reached an equilibrium deswelling state within 6 h in response to temperature or pH stimuli. Compared with the conventional PNIPAAm hydrogel, their dewelling rate in response to temperature was improved significantly, owing to the formation of a porous structure within the hydrogels in the presence of ionized SA during the polymerization process. Moreover, the deswelling process could be well described with a first-order kinetics equation and it is possible to design any hydrogel with the desired deswelling behavior through the control of the SA content in the semi-IPN hydrogels.     

Polystyrene latex particles coated with crosslinked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)

Thermoresponsive colloidal particles were prepared by seeded precipitation polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) in the presence of a crosslinking monomer, N,N-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA), using polystyrene latex particles (ca. 50 nm in diameter) as seeds in aqueous dispersion. Phase transitions of the prepared poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), PNIPAM, shells on polystyrene cores were studied in comparison to colloidal PNIPAM microgel particles, in H₂O and/or in D₂O by dynamic light scattering, microcalorimetry and by ¹H NMR spectroscopy including the measurements of spin–lattice (T1) and spin–spin (T2) relaxation times for the protons of PNIPAM. As expected, the seed particles grew in hydrodynamic size during the crosslinking polymerization of NIPAM, and a larger NIPAM to seed mass ratio in the polymerization batch led to a larger increase of particle size indicating a product coated with a thicker PNIPAM shell. Broader microcalorimetric endotherms of dehydration were observed for crosslinked PNIPAM on the solid cores compared to the PNIPAM microgels and also an increase of the transition temperature was observed. The calorimetric results were complemented by the NMR spectroscopy data of the ¹H-signal intensities upon heating in D₂O, showing that the phase transition of crosslinked PNIPAM on polystyrene core shifts towards higher temperatures when compared to the microgels, and also that the temperature range of the transition is broader.     

Synthesis and characterization of thermo-sensitive poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogel with fast response rate

Thermo-sensitive poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) hydrogel with fast response rate was prepared by polymerizing N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPA) in an aqueous hydroxyl-propyl-methyl cellulose solution. The volume phase transition temperature of PNIPA hydrogels was characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and the surface morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The swelling ratios of the hydrogels at different temperatures were measured. Furthermore, the deswelling kinetics of the hydrogels was also studied by measuring their water retention capacity. In comparison with a conventional PNIPA hydrogel prepared in water, the hydrogel synthesized in aqueous hydroxyl-propyl-methyl cellulose solution has higher swelling ratios at temperatures below the lower critical solution temperature and exhibits a much faster response rate to temperature changes. For example, the hydrogel made in aqueous hydroxyl-propyl-methyl cellulose solution lost 89% water within 1 min and about 93% water in 4 min, whereas the conventional hydrogel lost only about 66% water in 15 min from the deswelling measurement in similar conditions. Translated from Chinese Journal of Applied Chemistry, 2006, 23(6): 581–585 (in Chinese)     

Characterization of poly(acrylamide-co-acrylates) obtained by inverse microemulsion polymerization

Two series of poly(acrylamide-co-acrylates) with compositions rangingfrom 10 to 55 mol % acrylate units were prepared by radical polymerization in inverse microemulsions. The compositional analyses of the samples were performed using elemental analysis, potentiometry and¹³C NMR. The comparison between the three methods indicates that¹³C NMR is the most reliable one, avoiding errors which often arise from associated water in hydrophilic polymers. The copolymer viscosity exhibits a maximum behavior around 40 mol % acrylate content, a lower value than that already observed for co-polymers prepared in homogeneous solution. The production of copolymers presenting high intrinsic viscosities ( 3700 cm³g^–) is achieved using an inverse microemulsion as the polymerization medium operating at lower temperature.     

Fast responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels prepared in phenol aqueous solutions

Fast responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) hydrogels with improved properties were prepared in phenol aqueous solutions with different concentrations. Due to the expanded network structure in water, the resulted hydrogels are capable of absorbing a large amount of water, i.e. exhibits a much increased swelling ratio at room temperature. Importantly, the hydrogels demonstrated much faster response rate than that of traditional PNIPAAm hydrogel upon external temperature increase.     

Volume phase transition and structure of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) microgels studied with 1H-NMR spectroscopy in D2O

Thermoresponsive colloidal microgels were prepared by polymerisation of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) with varying concentration of a cross-linking monomer, N,N-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA), in water with either 0.4 or 6.7 mM concentration of an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS). Volume phase transitions of the prepared microgels were studied in D₂O by ¹H-NMR spectroscopy including the measurements of spin–lattice (T1) and spin–spin (T2) relaxation times for the protons of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) at temperature range 22–50 °C. In addition, microcalorimetry, turbidometry, dynamic light scattering and electrophoretic mobility measurements were used to characterise the aqueous microgels. The results from the different characterisation methods indicated that PNIPAM microgels prepared in 6.7 mM SDS concentration are structurally different compared to their correspondences prepared in 0.4 mM concentration. Increasing MBA concentration in the microgel synthesis appears to increase the structural heterogeneity in both cases of SDS concentration. PNIPAM structures with significantly higher molecular mobilities at temperatures above 35 °C were observed in the microgels prepared in 0.4 mM SDS concentration, as indicated by the ¹H NMR relaxation times of different PNIPAM protons. We conclude that the high mobilities measured with NMR at elevated temperatures and also the clearly negative values of zeta potential are in connection to a fairly mobile surface layer with polyelectrolyte nature and a consequent high local lower critical solution temperature.     

Effects of synthesis-solvent on swelling and elastic properties of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels

Thermosensitive N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPA) hydrogels were synthesized by a free radical copolymerization with N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (MBAA) in four solvents: water, ethanol, acetone and N,N-dimethylformamide. The swelling and elastic properties of the hydrogels were affected by the synthesis-solvents; the hydrogels (e.g. NIPA/MBAA = 1000/50 mol/m³-pre-gel solution) synthesized in water have smaller swelling volume and larger shear modulus at 10 °C than those synthesized in amphiphilic solvents. The network structure of hydrogels was estimated in terms of the conversion and two sorts of effective crosslinking density based on the Flory theory and the concentration of crosslinker. The hydrogels synthesized in water can have the microscopic inhomogeneous network arising from the entanglement of polymer chains, while the hydrogels synthesized in amphiphilic solvents can have the homogeneous network arising from the polymer concentration lower than the pre-gel solution and can be similar in network structure to the lightly crosslinked hydrogel synthesized in water.     

The kinetics of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) microgel latex formation

Conversion versus time curves were measured for poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) microgel latexes prepared by polymerization in water with sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS. Polymerization rates increased with temperature with methylenebisacrylamide crosslinking monomer consumed faster thanN-isopropylacrylamide. The particle diameter decreased with increasing concentrations of SDS in the polymerization recipe and there was evidence that the rate of polymerization increased somewhat with SDS concentration. Particle formation occurred by homogeneous nucleation as micelles were absent.Comparison of particle size distributions from dynamic light scattering to those from a centrifugal sizer led to the conclusion that larger particles within a specific latex were less swollen with acetonitrile than were the smaller ones. This was interpreted as evidence for the polymer in larger particles having a higher crosslink density. Particle swelling was estimated from swelling ratios defined as the particle volume at 25 °C divided by the volume at 50 °C. In the absence of crosslinking poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) linear chains would disolve at 25 °C. The swelling results indicated that the average crosslink density in the particles decreased with conversion. This was explained by the observation that the methylenebisacrylamide was consumed more quickly and is typical of crosslinking in emulsion polymerization where polymer particles have high polymer concentrations at their birth.     

Preparation of the individual compact single-chain globular particulates of Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)

The compact single-chain (SC) particulates of Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), which have been formed above its lower critical solution temperature in an aqueous solution containing the surfactant of sodium n-dodecyl sulfate (SDS), were recovered from the solution by freeze-drying. Under scanning electron microscopy, the compact particulate appears as a spherical or elliptical particulate individually dispersed in SDS, which acts as a solid solvent to prevent agglomeration. The conformation of the compact SC particulates of PNIPAM dispersed in SDS had been studied by the solid-state high-resolution ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The ¹³C spin-lattice relaxation time T ₁ of the SC sample was determined in comparison with that of the original one. It was found that the T ₁ of the methyl carbon in the isopropyl group of the SC sample was about 45% higher than that in the original multichain sample, which revealed the differences in the motion of the methyl group in the different condensed states and illuminated the characteristic conformation of the compact SC globular particulates of PNIPAM.     

Thermoresponsive polymeric nanoparticles stabilized by surfactants

Solutions of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) with ionic and nonionic surfactants were investigated by light scattering methods at temperatures 15–45 °C. In contrast to previous studies, where surfactants were used in excess, lower concentrations of surfactants were used. The formation of well-defined nanoparticles of PNIPA was observed on heating above the lower critical solution temperature. The effect of PNIPA and surfactant concentrations, and molecular weight of PNIPA on nanoparticle parameters and on the phase transition temperature of PNIPA solutions were investigated. An interpretation based on stabilization of PNIPA nuclei by surfactants was suggested.     

DNA mutation analysis based on capillary electrochromatography using colloidal poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) particles as pseudostationary phase

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) is an interesting class of temperature sensitive, water soluble polymer that has a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of 32 °C. Above the LCST, PNIPAM gets phase-separated and precipitates out from water. The fascinating temperature-sensitive property of PNIPAM has led to a growing interest in diverse fields of applications. Recently, capillary electrochromatography (CEC) has gained attention due to the wide range of applications based on the use of open tubular capillaries. In this paper, the use of phase-separated PNIPAM as a pseudostationary phase for CEC is demonstrated for the detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Owing to the dynamic coating, the phase-separated PNIPAM particles did not require any immobilization technique and could exist as a mobile stationary phase in the open tubular capillary. The heteroduplex analyses of mutation samples could be successfully performed based on the phase-separated PNIPAM particles in the constructed CEC system. The CEC system, based on PNIPAM particles capable of having a narrow size distribution, shows great potential as an alternative to conventional DNA mutation systems.     

Tailoring thermoresponsive nanostructured poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels made with poly(acrylamide) nanoparticles

The thermoresponsive behavior and mechanical properties of nanostructured hydrogels, which consist of poly(acrylamide) nanoparticles embedded in a cross-linked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogel matrix, are reported here. Nanostructured hydrogels exhibit a tuned volume phase transition temperature (T _VPT), which varies with nanoparticle content in the range from 32 up to 39–40 °C. Moreover, larger equilibrium water uptake, faster swelling and de-swelling rates, and larger equilibrium swelling at 25 °C were obtained with nanostructured hydrogels compared with those of conventional ones. Elastic and Young’s moduli were larger than those of conventional hydrogels at similar swelling ratios. The tuned T _VPT and the de-swelling rate were predicted with a modified Flory–Rehner equation coupled with a mixing rule that considers the contribution of both polymers. These behaviors are explained by a combination of hydrophilic/hydrophobic interactions and by the controlled inhomogeneities (nanoparticles) introduced by the method of synthesis.     

A new strategy to prepare temperature-sensitive poly(<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-isopropylacrylamide) microgels

In this study, a new method was developed to prepare temperature-sensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) microgels by free radical precipitation polymerization using siloxane coupling agent as the new crosslinker. Ammonium persulfate acted as the initiator for the radical copolymerization as well as the catalyst for the hydrolysis/condensation of the siloxane groups. The particle diameter and polydispersity of the microgels were measured by photon correlation spectroscopy and the results display that the microgels are monodisperse. The microgels exhibit temperature sensitivity and the phase transition temperature is approximately 31 °C. Furthermore, the diameter of the microgels changes upon heating and cooling processes. These were observed to be reversible. The novel crosslinking method described herein is the condensation of siloxane groups, which is totally different from the traditional double-vinyl crosslinkers. This innovative approach offers an alternative path to prepare functional core–shell particles and inorganic/organic hybrid materials.     

The synthesis, characterisation, phase behaviour and swelling of temperature sensitive physically crosslinked poly(1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidinone)/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels

Physically crosslinked complexes of polyvinyl pyrrolidinone-poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PVP-PNIPAAm) were prepared by photopolymerisation from a mixture of the monomers 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidinone and N-isopropylacrylamide. IR spectroscopy and calorimetry were used to characterise the resulting xerogels. By alternating the monomer feed ratio, copolymers were synthesised to have their own distinctive lower critical solution temperature (LCST). The transition temperature of the gels was established using cloud point measurement and modulated differential scanning calorimeter (MDSC). This ability to shift the phase transition temperature of the copolymers provides excellent flexibility in tailoring transitions for specific uses. Swelling experiments were performed on the copolymer disks in distilled water at varying temperatures to establish the behaviour of the gels above and below phase transition temperature. The results obtained show that below transition temperature, the gels are water soluble but above this temperature they are slightly less water soluble; significantly less water soluble; or water insoluble; depending on the composition and LCST of the gel.     

Preparation and characterization of sodium carboxymethylcellulose/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)/clay semi-IPN nanocomposite hydrogels

A new kind of pH-/temperature-responsive semi-interpenetrating polymer network hydrogels based on linear sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) cross-linked by inorganic clay (CMC/PNIPA/Clay hydrogel) was prepared. The temperature- and pH-responsive behaviors, the mechanical properties of these hydrogels were investigated. The CMC/PNIPA/Clay hydrogels exhibited a volume phase transition temperature around 32 °C with no significant deviation from the conventional PNIPA hydrogels. The swelling ratio of the CMC/PNIPA/Clay hydrogels gradually decreased with increasing the contents of clay. The influence of pH value on swelling behaviors showed that there is a maximum swelling ratio at pH 5.9. Moreover, the CMC/PNIPA/Clay hydrogels exhibited excellent mechanical properties with high tensile stress and elongation at break in excess of 1200%.     

Structural observation of heterogeneous poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) hydrogels in highly hydrated states

Heterogeneous hydrogels were prepared by -ray irradiation of aqueous solutions of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) and acrylic acid (AAc) having various compositions above the lower critical solution temperature. The structures of the poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) gel and poly(NIPAAm-co-AAc) gels in both their highly hydrated and their natural states were observed by environmental scanning electron microscopy. The heterogeneous structures of the homopolymer gel and the copolymer gels whose AAc contents were between 10–50% consisted of interconnected microspheres. In the copolymer gel with a high AAc content, the structure became a largely interconnected one which lacked micro-droplets. The hydrophobic interaction caused by hydrogen bonding between the unionized carboxylic acid groups of AAc and the amide groups of NIPAAm, the rates of polymerization, and the aggregation rates play important roles in the formation of interconnected microsphere gel structures.     

Synthesis and characterization of thermoresponsive isopropylacrylamide-acrylamide hydrogels

In this study, hydrogels of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylamide) having a thermoresponsive character were prepared by a redox polymerization method. NIPAM-co-AAm hydrogels with different thermoresponsive properties were obtained by changing the initial NIPAM/AAm mole ratio and crosslinker concentration.Equilibrium-swelling ratio, dynamic swelling ratio and dynamic deswelling ratio were evaluated for all hydrogel systems. The fast shrinking was observed with all gels. The time required for equilibrium shrinking increased with the increase of acrylamide content in the gel.     

Study on interaction between Tb(III) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)

A new kind of the thermo-sensitive and fluorescent complex of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and Tb(III) was synthesized by free radical polymerization, in which PNIPAM was used as a polymer ligand. The complex was characterized by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet-visual (UV), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results from the experiments indicated that there is a strong interaction between PNIPAM and Tb(III), leading to a decrease in the electron density of nitrogen and oxygen atoms and an increase in the electron density of Tb(III) in the PNIPAM containing Tb(III) by contrast with PNIPAM and Tb(III), respectively, meanwhile, exhibiting that the Tb(III) is mainly bonded to oxygen atoms in the polymer chain of PNIPAM and formed the complex of PNIPAM-Tb(III). After forming the PNIPAM-Tb(III) complex, the emission fluorescence intensity of Tb(III) in the PNIPAM-Tb(III) complex is significantly enhanced because the effective intramolecular energy transfer from PNIPAM to Tb(III). Especially, the emission intensity of the fluorescence peak at 547 nm can be increased as high as 145 times comparing with that of the pure Tb(III). The intramolecular energy transfer efficiency for fluorescence peak at 547 nm can reach as high as 68%. The fluorescence intensity is related the weight ratio of Tb(III) and PNIPAM in the PNIPAM-Tb(III) complex. When the weight ratio is 1.4%, the maximum fluorescence enhancement can be obtained. Nevertheless, the lower critical solution temperature of PNIPAM containing a low content of Tb(III) has not obviously changed after the formation of the complex of PNIPAM-Tb(III) by the interaction between PNIPAM and Tb(III). This novel thermosensitive and fluorescence characterization of the PNIPAM-Tb(III) complex may be useful in the fluorescence systems and the biomedical field.     

Bistable photoswitching in poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) with spironaphthoxazine hydrogel for optical data storage

A bistable switching photochromic poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) with spironaphthoxazine hydrogel copolymer (PNIPA-SPO-BIS) has been designed and synthesized by radical polymerization. The PNIPA-SPO-BIS copolymer is identified by ¹H NMR spectroscopy, FIT-IR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The morphology of the internal microstructures of the PNIPA-SPO-BIS hydrogels was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The PNIPA-SPO-BIS copolymer showed excellent photochromic behavior in water solution and in gel state. In addition, erasable and rewritable (EARW) photoimaging on the PNIPA-SPO-BIS hydrogel was successfully demonstrated. A novel optical data storage materials based on photochromic hydrogel was developed. These developments are crucial for fundamental studies and eventual technical application for all-photo mode high-density optical data storage.