Tricritical point induced by smectic ordering of a nematic gel

The authors study volume phase transitions of a nematic gel immersed in a liquid crystal (LC) solvent, which shows a second-order nematic-smectic A phase transition (NST). Combining Flory's elastic energy [Principles of Polymer Chemistry (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, 1953)] for a swelling of the gel with the McMillan model [Phys. Rev. A 4, 1238 (1971)] for smectic ordering, the authors calculate the equilibrium swelling of the gel and smectic order parameters as a function of temperature. The authors take into account an attractive interaction parameter c between the gel and LC solvents. On increasing the value of the coupling constant c, a second-order NST of the gel is changed to a first-order one and a continuous volume phase transition of the gel is changed to a discontinuous one. The authors find a tricritical point of the gel induced by smectic ordering.     

激光光散射研究聚(N-异丙基丙烯酰胺)单链及其智能凝胶微球在水中的相变(下)

（接上期）２聚（Ｎ－异丙基丙烯酰胺）微凝胶在水中的体积相变２．１理论部分凝胶体积相变热力学：聚合物凝胶的溶胀和蜷缩可以用膨胀因子α＝（Ｖ／Ｖ０）１／３＝（ΦＴ／ΦΘ）１／３来表征，其中ΦΘ的ΦＴ分别是温度Θ和Ｔ下凝胶网络的体积分数。在平均场理论中，中...     

Thermally reversible pluronic/heparin nanocapsules exhibiting 1000-fold volume transition

Novel Pluronic/heparin composite nanocapsules that exhibit a thermally responsible swelling and deswelling behavior were synthesized. Pluronic F-127 preactivated with p-nitrophenyl chloroformate at its two terminal hydroxyl groups was dissolved in a methylene chloride phase. The organic phase was dispersed in an aqueous phase containing heparin. At an organic/aqueous interface, Pluronic-cross-linked heparin nanocapsules were produced. They exhibited a 1000-fold volume transition (ca. 336 nm at 25 degrees C; ca. 32 nm at 37 degrees C), and a reversible swelling and deswelling behavior when the temperature was cycled between 20 and 37 degrees C. The reversible volume transition of Pluronic nanocapsules was caused by micellization and demicellization of cross-linked Pluronic polymer chains within the nanocapsule structure in response to temperature. The morphological characters were investigated with transmission electron microscopy and small angle neutron scattering. Pluronic/heparin nanocapsules had an aqueous fluid-filled hollow interior with a surrounding shell layer below the critical temperature, but they became a collapsed core/shell structure similar to that of Pluronic micelles above it.     

Effects of microcrystallites on swelling behavior in chemically crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) gels

We report the swelling ratio and network structure of a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) gel chemically crosslinked by glutaraldehyde with different degrees of crosslinks. Microcrystallites were formed in a chemical PVA gel during a drying process and were confirmed by X‐Ray diffraction (XRD) measurements and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The formation of microcrystallites in the dried gels was suppressed by increasing the degrees of chemical crosslinks. When the dried samples were immersed in pure water at 25 °C, the swelling ratio depended on the degree of chemical crosslinks resulting from the destruction of physical crosslinks by microcrystallites. On the other hand, when the dried samples were immersed in a poor solvent of a mixture of dimethyl sulfoxide and water at 8 °C, the gels did not swell and stayed in the collapsed state. Starting from the collapsed state, the equilibrium swelling ratios were measured while the temperature was increased to 90 °C and then decreased to 8 °C. As a result, irreversible swelling behaviors were observed for all gels with different degrees of crosslinks, which were attributed to the destruction of microcrystallites. The swelling behavior is discussed in terms of the formation and destruction of additional physical crosslinks in the chemical PVA gels. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011     

Swelling behavior of chemically crosslinked PVA gels in mixed solvents

We report the swelling behavior of chemically crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) gels with different degrees of hydrolysis in water, several organic solvents, and their mixed solvents. The gels were dried after gelation and were put into their respective solvents. The gel volume in pure water decreased with increasing temperatures, and the total changes increased with decreasing degrees of hydrolysis. The swelling ratio depends on the solvent and its concentration. In the cases of mixed solvents of methanol–water, ethanol–water, and acetone–water, the gels shrank continuously with increasing concentrations of solvents and reached the collapsed state in the pure organic solvent. In the case of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), on the other hand, the gels shrunk, swelled, and finally reached the swollen state in pure DMSO. Results of measurements using Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) suggested that crosslinks and microcrystallites were formed due to hydrogen bonds during the drying process after gelation. The hydrogen bonds were partly destroyed in a rich solvent, but the residual hydrogen bonds had an essential role in determining the swelling behavior in a poor solvent. The swelling behavior and the possible phase transition of the present system are discussed in terms of the solubility of polymers with different degrees of hydrolysis in given mixed solvents and in terms of the formation and destruction of physical crosslinks in the chemical PVA gels. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 1978–1986, 2010     

Simulating the collapse transition of a two-dimensional semiflexible lattice polymer

It has been revealed by mean-field theories and computer simulations that the nature of the collapse transition of a polymer is influenced by its bending stiffness epsilon(b). In two dimensions, a recent analytical work demonstrated that the collapse transition of a partially directed lattice polymer is always first order as long as epsilon(b) is positive [H. Zhou et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 158302 (2006)]. Here we employ Monte Carlo simulation to investigate systematically the effect of bending stiffness on the static properties of a two-dimensional lattice polymer. The system's phase diagram at zero force is obtained. Depending on epsilon(b) and the temperature T, the polymer can be in one of the three phases: crystal, disordered globule, or swollen coil. The crystal-globule transition is discontinuous and the globule-coil transition is continuous. At moderate or high values of epsilon(b) the intermediate globular phase disappears and the polymer has only a discontinuous crystal-coil transition. When an external force is applied, the force-induced collapse transition will either be continuous or discontinuous, depending on whether the polymer is originally in the globular or the crystal phase at zero force. The simulation results also demonstrate an interesting scaling behavior of the polymer at the force-induced globule-coil transition.     

Thermosensitive core-shell particles as model systems for studying the flow behavior of concentrated colloidal dispersions

We report on a comprehensive investigation of the flow behavior of colloidal thermosensitive core-shell particles at high densities. The particles consist of a solid core of poly(styrene) onto which a network of cross-linked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) is affixed. Immersed in water the shell of these particles will swell if the temperature is low. Raising the temperature above 32 degrees C leads to a volume transition within this shell which leads to a marked shrinking of the shell. The particles have well-defined core-shell structure and a narrow size distribution. The remaining electrostatic interactions due to a small number of charges affixed to the core particles can be screened by adding 0.05M KCl to the suspensions. Below the lower critical solution temperature at 32 degrees C the particles are purely repulsive. Above this transition, a thermoreversible coagulation takes place. Lowering the temperature again leads to full dissociation of the aggregates formed by this process. The particles crystallize for effective volume fractions between 0.48 and 0.55. The crystallites can be molten by shear in order to reach a fluid sample again. The reduced shear stress measured in this metastable disordered state was found to be a unique function of the shear rate and the effective volume fraction. These reduced flow curves thus obtained can be described quantitatively by the theory of Fuchs and Cates [Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 248304 (2002)] which is based on the mode-coupling theory of the glass transition.     

Swelling and deswelling kinetics of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gels

Swelling and deswelling kinetics was investigated for three types of cylindrical poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) gels differing in crosslink density. The temperature dependence curves of the volume of the gel specimens were different from one another. One of the gel specimens was considered as a critical gel showing the continuous volume phase transition. The volume change process of the specimens after a temperature jump was examined. In the deswelling processes with temperature jumps to temperatures higher than 35 degrees C, a phase separation was observed in the gel specimens and the volume change slowed down due to the homogenization after the phase separation. The value of the diffusion constant obtained without the phase separation decreased rapidly as temperature approaches the transition temperature. The rapid decrease for the critical gel indicates the emergence of the critical slowing-down. The value of the critical exponent for the correlation length suggests that the universality class for the volume phase transition of the critical PNIPA gel belongs to the class for the classical theory.     

Free‐volume change in volume phase transition of polyacrylamide gel as studied by positron annihilation: Salt dependence

Variation of free‐volume parameters—average radius size, number concentration, and size distribution—of a polyacrylamide (PAAm) gel containing 4 mol % carboxylate anions is studied during a volume phase transition (VPT) caused by a change of sodium chloride (NaCl) concentration. A positron annihilation lifetime technique is used for the determination of the free‐volume characteristics. The measurement is performed in an acetone–water 3 : 2 (v/v) [0.27 : 0.73 (mol/mol)] mixed solvent at 20°C, and the free‐volume parameters deduced from the analysis of a positron annihilation curve are utilized. An average free‐volume size of the swollen PAAm gel, ∼ 0.32 nm in radius, almost agrees with that of the mixed solvent for a corresponding salt concentration, while the size of the collapsed gel, which is ∼ 0.28 nm in radius, is smaller than that of the mixed solvent. The results for the collapsed gel indicate that the hydrogen bond plays a significant role in the nanoscopic environment. The radius of the free‐volume of the swollen PAAm gel seems to be influenced by the composition between acetone and water. An inhomogeneity of the nanoscopic structure inside the PAAm gels is discussed in terms of a dispersion of a size distribution of the free‐volume. It is concluded that a change of the nanoscopic environment of the PAAm gel during the VPT can be monitored through the free‐volume parameters obtained by the positron annihilation lifetime technique. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 2634–2641, 1999     

Dynamics of water and sodium in gels under salt‐induced phase transition

Synthetic and biological gels undergo a sharp volume phase transition when subjected to a variety of environmental changes. Water and ion dynamics within swollen and compact phases are critical for understanding fundamental concepts in cellular (specifically neuronal) biophysics, for models of bound, free, or ordered water in complex environments; and for practical applications such as the design of gels for drug release, biomimetics, sensors, or actuators. In this work, we find, for the first time, basic physical parameters that shed light on the interaction of gels with water and electrolytes, across a volume phase transition. Water within a gel can be separated into bound and free populations with high exchange rate. We show that free water dynamics in compact gels are the same as those in pure water. Bound water was found to comprise a single layer around the polymers in both phases, with a correlation time three orders of magnitude higher than that of free water. Most importantly, salt‐induced phase transition was found to be different from a standard coil‐globule transition (e.g., temperature‐induced), with no rejection of bound water as the gel compacts. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 1620–1628     

Spontaneous volume transition of polyampholyte nanocomposite hydrogels based on pure electrostatic interaction

A circular system is employed in this paper to investigate the swelling behaviors of polyampholyte hydrogels; this circular system can effectively eliminate the disturbance of various factors and keep the surrounding environment constant. It is found that there exists a spontaneous volume transition to the collapsed state of polyampholyte hydrogels, which is attributed to the overshooting effect, and the transition can occur repeatedly under certain conditions. (13)C NMR is employed to investigate the swelling behavior of polyampholyte hydrogels. The swelling kinetics of polyampholyte hydrogels under various circular media and various circular runs are also investigated in this paper. All the results suggest that the spontaneous volume transition to the collapsed state of polyampholyte hydrogels is dominated by pure electrostatic interaction between different charges in polymer chains.     

Phase equilibria in polymer/solvent systems. Part V: Thermodynamic theory of the swelling pressure equilibrium of a crosslinked substance with a solvent in various phases

A thermodynamic theory has been developed to define the swelling pressure equilibrium between a homogeneous gel and a pure solvent, where phase transitions of the solvent, such as evaporation and crystallization can occur. It is shown that the equilibrium curve, which describes the temperature dependence of the composition in the gel phase under the condition of a constant swelling pressure, has distinct bends at the transition temperatures. These bends are related to the enthalpies of transition of the pure solvent at the transition temperatures. As a consequence of the phase transition of the solvent the swelling pressure-temperature curve at constant composition of the gel shows a discontinuous behavior at the transition point. Numerical calculations with a modified Flory-Huggins expression, based on results of swelling and deswelling measurements of the system crosslinked PEG/water, are presented.The discussion includes natural systems, which are in the gel state, where water may crystallize in the extracellular space.     

Sol/gel and isotropic/nematic transitions in aqueous suspensions of natural nontronite clay. Influence of particle anisotropy. 1. Features of the i/n transition

The phase behavior of a natural nontronite clay was studied for size-selected particles by combining osmotic pressure measurements, visual observations under polarized light, and rheological experiments. In parallel, the positional and orientational correlations of the particles were analyzed by small-angle X-ray scattering. Aqueous suspensions of nontronite exhibit a true isotropic/nematic (I/N) transition that occurs before the sol/gel transition, for ionic strengths below 10(-3) M/L. In this region of the phase diagrams, the system appears to be purely repulsive. The I/N transition shifts toward lower volume fractions for increasing particle anisotropy, and its position in the phase diagram agrees well with the theoretical predictions for platelets. SAXS measurements reveal the presence of characteristic interparticular distances in the isotropic, nematic, and gel phases. The swelling law (separation distance vs swelling law) exhibits two regimes. For high volume fractions, the swelling law is one-dimensional as in layered systems and reveals the presence of isolated platelets. At lower volume fraction, distances scale as phi(-1/3), indicating isotropic volumic swelling. Finally, the experimental osmotic pressure curves can be satisfactorily reproduced by considering the interparticle distances between two charged planes whose effective charge is around 10% of the structural charge.     

DC(13)PC bilayers from anomalous swelling to main transition: an X-ray scattering investigation

We have performed small-angle (SAXS) and wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) measurements on the lamellar phase and on large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) of DC(13)PC in the temperature range corresponding to the anomalous swelling regime of multibilayer systems, adjacent to the chain melting transition, and across the transition. Our SAXS measurements indicate that on cooling from the L(alpha) phase, a uniform progressive swelling of the lamellar system to anomalous distances, starting approximately 2 degrees C above the main transition, is followed by a region of coexistence, covering the width of the transition ( approximately 0.6 degrees C). Across the transition region, a progressively increasing volume fraction of gel phase with a constant P (beta') interlamellar distance coexists with a decreasing amount of nongel phase that keeps on swelling to longer distances. Along both the swelling and the transition regions, anomalies in the specific heat are observed revealing a two-step process. Simultaneous WAXS experiments show a progressive "density" increase along the swelling region, constituting a direct spectroscopic evidence of an "evolving membrane" approaching the transition in a bulk real system. Calorimetric and densitometric measurements on LUVs are also presented, together with WAXS results, that show the existence of a double step main transition in a single component nanosized closed bilayer.     

Interaction between polyelectrolyte gels and surfactants of opposite charge

Investigations dealing with fundamental aspects of the interaction between covalently cross-linked polyelectrolyte gels and oppositely charged surfactants are reviewed. For reference, a brief summary of results from recent studies of associative phase separation in linear polyelectrolyte/surfactant mixtures is also included. It is found that great progress has been made in several sub-areas since the first reports appeared in the early 1990's. The frequently observed surfactant-induced volume transition has been studied in detail. Its relation to associative phase separation in solutions and the important role of polyion-mediated micelle–micelle attractions have been clarified. Phase separation in gels, in particular core/shell structures, has been studied in great detail. The importance of network mediated elastic forces between two phases coexisting in the same gel has been demonstrated and some of their consequences have been clarified. Hydrophobic interactions between polyion and micelle have been found to have strong effects on both binding and swelling isotherms. The effect of salt, which has been found to sometimes disfavor, sometimes promote surfactant binding, is quite well understood. The microstructure of gels in the collapsed state has been studied in great detail and is often found to be highly ordered, resembling liquid crystalline phases common to surfactant/water systems. The kinetics of surfactant binding and the associated volume change has been investigated to some extent. Progress has been made for gels displaying phase separation during the volume transition.     

A hemicyanine-conjugated copolymer as a highly sensitive fluorescent thermometer

A simple-structured copolymer, poly(NIPAM-co-HC), consisting of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and 4-(4-dimethylaminostyryl)pyridine (hemicyanine, HC) units as thermoresponsive and fluorescent signaling parts, respectively, has been synthesized. This copolymer dissolved in water shows very weak fluorescence at <25 degrees C, while showing fluorescence enhancement at >25 degrees C. The fluorescence intensity increases with a rise in temperature and saturates at >40 degrees C, enabling temperature detection at 25-40 degrees C. The fluorescence enhancement is driven by a heat-induced phase transition of the polymer from coil to globule state. The HC units within the coil state polymer exist as the nonfluorescent benzenoid form; however, the less polar domain formed inside the globule state polymer leads to transformation of the HC unit to the fluorescent quinoid form, resulting in heat-induced fluorescence enhancement. The fluorescence intensity measured at 40 degrees C is >20-fold higher than the intensity at <25 degrees C, which is the highest enhancement value among the fluorescent thermometers proposed so far. The polymer shows reversible fluorescence enhancement/quenching, regardless of the heating/cooling process. In addition, the polymer shows high reusability with a simple recovery process.     

Lateral phase separation in cholesterol/diheptadecanoylphosphatidylcholine binary bilayer membrane

We investigated the phase behavior of cholesterol/diheptadecanoylphosphatidylcholine (C17:0-PC) binary bilayer membrane as a function of the cholesterol composition (X(ch)) by fluorescence spectroscopy using 6-propionyl-2-(dimethylamino)naphthalene (Prodan) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The fluorescence spectra showed that the wavelength at the maximum intensity (lambda(max)) changed depending on the bilayer state: ca. 440 nm for the lamellar gel ( [Formula: see text] or L(beta)) and the liquid ordered (L(o)) phases and ca. 490 nm for the liquid-crystalline (L(alpha)) phase. The transition temperatures were determined from the temperature dependence of lambda(max) and endothermic peaks of the DSC thermograms. Both measurements showed that the pre- and main transition disappear around X(ch)=0.05 and 0.30, respectively. The constructed temperature-X(ch) phase diagram resembled a typical phase diagram for a eutectic binary mixture containing a peritectic point. The presence of a peritectic point at X(ch)=0.15 suggested that a complex of cholesterol and C17:0-PC is stoichiometrically formed in the gel phase. Consideration based on the hexagonal lattice model revealed that the compositions of 0.05 and 0.15 correspond to the bilayer states where cholesterol molecules are regularly distributed in different ways. The former is nearly equal to the composition for the membrane occupied entirely with Units (1:18), composed of a cholesterol and 18 surrounding C17:0-PC molecules within the next-next nearest neighbor sites. The latter is represented by a Unit (1:6), including a cholesterol and 6 surrounding C17:0-PC molecules. Further, the disappearance of the main transition at X(ch)=0.30 indicates that the pure L(o) phase can exist in X(ch)>0.30. The eutectic behavior observed in the phase diagram was explainable in terms of phase separation between two different types of regions with different types of regular distributions of cholesterol.     

Effect of amino acid surfactants on phase transition of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gel

The volume phase transition behavior of a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gel (NIPA gel) in solutions of N-acyl amino acid surfactants were studied as a function of surfactant concentration. The addition of a surfactant beyond the critical micelle concentration (cmc) produced elevation in the transition temperature of the NIPA gel and its swelling. The changes in the volume phase transition temperature and in the swelling of the NIPA gel became more significant with the decreasing size of the amino acid side chain. This result could almost be explained only by the binding amount of surfactant onto the NIPA gel regardless of molecular structure of the amino acid. The binding amount increased in the order of sodium N-lauroyl-glycinate>-alaninate>-valinate>-leucinate>or=-phenylalaninate. For an N-acyl amino acid surfactant to bind onto the NIPA gel, to increase the transition temperature, and to facilitate swelling of the gel, the steric hindrance of the amino acid side chain was more effective than its hydrophobicity.     

Dynamic light scattering studies of ionic and nonionic polymer gels with continuous and discontinuous volume transitions

We have performed dynamic light scattering experiments on poly(acrylamide)‐poly(acrylic acid) copolymer gels with controlled crosslink density and copolymer composition, by varying the temperature, amount and valency of added salt, pH, and solvent quality. Our systematic study provides several insights. The correlation length for the monomer density fluctuations, as inferred from the measured diffusion coefficient, is too small to be identified as the mesh size of the gel. The correlation length in an ionic gel, which is found to be smaller than that for an equivalent gel without ionization. Comparison of swelling ratio with the diffusion coefficient shows that these quantities are not simply geometrically related to each other. When a discontinuous volume phase transition is induced by gradually varying the solvent quality, the diffusion coefficient exhibits a pretransitional reduction by two orders of magnitude even before the gel collapse. These findings provoke a need for new theoretical approaches for describing the elastic modes of polyelectrolyte gels. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2010