Temperature- and pH-responsive behaviour of poly(2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl methacrylate-co-N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) hydrogels

Hydrogels with pH/temperature responsiveness and high water uptake have been synthesized by the free radical polymerization of 2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl methacrylate (MEO₂MA) with N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) in a low proportion. The amphiphilic character of the biocompatible MEO₂MA provides thermo-sensitivity at low temperature. On the other hand, DMAEMA units incorporate ionisable amino groups and hydrophobic moieties, leading by themselves to a dual pH and thermo-sensitive system. Therefore, the combination of both monomers yields an interesting system with tuneable pH/temperature responsiveness and swelling capacity, which depends on composition and ionic strength. Thus, the volume transition temperature (VTT) is suppressed at low pH due to the basic character of DMAEMA. However, at basic pH, where amino groups are not charged, lower swelling capacities and narrow thermal volume transitions were obtained. At neutral pH, higher modulation of both the swelling achieved and VTT was observed.     

Water sorption properties of poly(ethyl acrylate-co-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) macroporous hydrogels

Synthetic porous hydrogels are becoming more and more important in the field of biomaterials. Different studies demonstrate that the porous structure promotes the colonisation of living cells and improves the biocompatibility of the implants. The macroporous structure allows not only the control of cellular ingrowth morphology but also the mechanical integration and the regulation of nutrient and hydraulic flow in the hydrogel. In this work poly(ethyl acrylate-co-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PEA/PHEMA) copolymers were polymerized using 2% of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross-linking agent and azoiso-botyronitrile as initiator. Five samples were prepared with the EA/HEMA weight ratios of 75/25, 50/50, 25/75 and pure PEA and PHEMA polymers, obtaining different degrees of hydrophilicity. The macroporous structure was obtained by adding poly(acrylonitrile) fibres to the monomers. After polymerization the fibres were eliminated by dissolution in dimethyl formamide. The holes are cylinders of approximately 40μm diameter and are all, more or less, in the same direction, although they are not uniformly distributed. Water sorption isotherms and diffusion properties of the macroporous samples are compared with the samples without holes.     

Swelling behaviors, tensile properties and thermodynamic studies of water sorption of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate/epoxy methacrylate copolymeric hydrogels

A series of copolymeric hydrogels based on 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and epoxy methacrylate (EMA) were synthesized by bulk polymerization. Swelling behaviors and tensile properties of hydrogels were studied. Dynamic swelling behaviors of copolymeric hydrogels indicate that the swelling process of these polymers follows Fickian behavior. The equilibrium water content (EWC) decreased and volume fraction of polymer in hydrogel (?₂) increased with EMA content increasing due to its hydrophobicity. The increase of ionic strength of swelling medium or temperature results in a decrease in EWC and an increase in values of ?₂. Young’s modulus and tensile strength of hydrogels, as well as effective crosslink density (v_e), increased as EMA content increased or ionic strength of swelling medium increased, attributing to increasing interaction between hydrophobic groups and polymer-polymer interaction with an increase in EMA content or in ionic strength. The polymer-solvent interaction parameter χ reflecting thermodynamic interaction was also studied. As EMA content, ionic strength of swelling medium or temperature increased, the values of χ increased. The values of χ and its two components χ_H and χ_S varied with increasing T. The negative values and trend of the enthalpy and entropy of dilution derived from values of χ_S and χ_H, could be explained on the basis of structuring of water through improved hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction.     

Preparation and Characterization of pH-Sensitive Microgels of Poly((2-dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate)

Summary: pH-sensitive microgels of poly((2-dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) were prepared by dispersion polymerization of 2-dimethylamino ethyl methacrylate in a mixed solvent of water/ethanol. ¹HNMR, FTIR and SEM were used to confirm the chemical structure and morphological properties of the resulting microgels. Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) was used to measure the hydrodynamic diameter of the particles. SEM micrographs showed that the microgel particles have a diameter of about 100–200 nm in dry state. Mean hydrodynamic diameter of the particles at their collapsed state at pH = 9.5 was found to be about 150 nm. DLS measurements at various pH values showed that the prepared microgels have a volume phase transition around pH = 8 at which the hydrodynamic diameter decreased from about 470 nm to around 150 nm corresponding to a 32 fold change in the mean volume of a microgel particle.     

Thermal degradation of poly(ethyl methacrylate) and its copolymer with poly(ethyl acrylate)

The thermal degradation behaviour of poly(ethyl methacrylate) homopolymers and poly(ethyl methacrylate) and poly(ethyl acrylate) copolymers synthesized by using the benzoyl peroxide-di-methyl aniline redox pair at different temperatures (18–35C) was investigated. Contrary to some reports in the literature, the thermal degradation of PEMA was observed to take place in multi steps. These are assigned to be loss of labile end groups, side chain scission, anhydride formation and main chain degradation steps. Dominating chemical formations at the end of these steps were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy.The homopolymer samples synthesized at 18C showed a greater thermal stability against degradation. Copolymerization with small amounts of ethyl acrylate was observed to impart thermal stability to PEMA by stabilizing mainly the end groups against degradations.     

Synthesis and characterization of original 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate/poly(ethyleneglycol) star-copolymers

Novel synthetic transfection vectors with linear triblock and star-shaped diblock copolymer architectures have been synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Based on 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) and copolymerization with poly(ethyleneglycol) α-methoxy, ω-methacrylate (MAPEG), the synthesis was realized using CuBr ligated with 1,1,4,7,10,10-hexamethyltriethylenetetramine (HMTETA) as catalytic complex and either ethyl 2-bromoisobutyrate (EBⁱB) or bis(α-bromoisobutyryl) N-methyl diethanolamine (DEA) or tris(α-bromoisobutyryl) triethanolamine (TEA) as (multifunctional)initiator. The polymers were characterized by GPC and NMR. The solution properties of these homopolymers and palm-tree-like copolymers were investigated by viscometry either in pure water or in buffered aqueous solutions. Interestingly, all the synthesized polymers show polyelectrolyte effect in Millipore water (25 °C) and in Hepes (20 mM) buffer solution (pH 7.4, NaCl 155 mM, 25 °C). Fitting of these viscometric data according to either Fuoss or Fedors equation allows for calculating the intrinsic viscosity of the polymers. These results are compared with dynamic light scattering (DLS) experiments to determine absolute masses. Finally, DEA based palm-tree-like copolymer is investigated to AFM measurement and micelles were observed at pH 8.     

Swelling and network parameters of crosslinked thermoreversible hydrogels of poly(N-ethylacrylamide)

Samples of Poly(N-ethylacrylamide) (PEA) have been synthesized by free radical polymerization in water using N,N′-methylene bis-acrylamide (BIS) as crosslinker. Hydrogels obtained by swelling them in water, 15 wt% KCl and 1 wt% sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) were examined by gravimetric, dimensional and compression-strain measurements to afford values of swelling ratio, polymer-solvent interaction parameters, elastic moduli and effective crosslinking density ν_e. Crosslinking inefficiency is evidenced by the low value (0.23) of ν_e relative to the theoretical crosslinking density ν_t based on the content of BIS in the synthesis. A small but finite extrapolated value of ν_e at ν_t = 0 is indicative of hydrophobic physical interactions. In water at 298 K increasing the content of BIS leads to a decrease in swelling and increases in values of elastic moduli and polymer-water interaction parameter. At a fixed content of BIS the values of ν_e and the elastic moduli exhibit an unusual increase with temperature, the crosslinking thus being thermally reversible. It is proposed that this results from a balance between hydrophobic interaction and breakage of hydrophilic hydrogen bonding. Although KCl in the medium decreases the swelling compared with that in water, the opposite effect occurs on incorporation of SDS, which is assumed to confer some polyelectrolyte character to the PEA chains. The finding, that these two swelling media reduce the values of ν_e and elastic moduli cf the value in water, has not been resolved satisfactorily.     

Thermal and pH dual responsive polyurethane/2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl methacrylate hybrids: Synthesis,characterization, and swelling behavior

This article describes the synthesis and characterization of stimuli-sensitive hybrid films using 2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DPA), and a polyurethane (PU) base on isophorone diisocyanate. Hybrid films with different amounts of DPA present good film and physicochemical properties. Characterization techniques such as Fourier transform infrared, UV–visible, modulate differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis reveal chemical interactions between PU and DPA groups. Swelling behavior of films shows a dependence on DPA content, pH, and temperature and different mechanisms of water uptake in response to pH and temperature variations. Hybrid systems would allow controlling water absorption not only through pH or temperature but also from the chosen PU/DPA proportion.     

Swelling behaviour of thermo-sensitive hydrogels based on oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylates

The thermo-sensitive swelling behaviour of hydrogels based on 2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl methacrylate (MEO₂MA) and synthesized by free radical polymerization has been investigated. The homopolymer hydrogel presents a low critical solution temperature (LCST) close to room temperature, which can be modulated by copolymerization with longer oligo(ethylene glycol) side chain methacrylates (OEG_xMA). Then, three series of copolymeric hydrogels synthesized with MEO₂MA and several low ratios of OEG_xMA with M_n = 475 g mol⁻¹ (OEG₈MA), M_n = 1100 g mol⁻¹ (OEG₂₃MA) and M_n = 2080 g mol⁻¹ (OEG₄₅MA) were studied. In addition to conventional tetra(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) crosslinker, the use of biodegradable oligo(caprolactone) dimethacrylate (OCLDMA) was also tested. The hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance, function of the short and the long OEG side chains, establishes a swelling behaviour depending on monomer composition, side chain length and temperature. The swelling at equilibrium increases with increasing the amount of OEG_xMA in the copolymer and, at the same time, the collapsing moves progressively to higher temperature. The temperature dependent volumetric response of some of these hydrogels can be compare with the most extended thermo-sensitive hydrogel, which is based on poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (P(N-iPAAm)). Therefore, they are potential candidates to replace it in applications where biocompatibility is required.     

Dispersion polymerization of styrene in carbon dioxide stabilized by copolymers of poly(propylene glycol) methacrylate and 2‐(perfluorooctyl)ethyl methacrylate

The dispersion polymerization of styrene in carbon dioxide with a series of copolymers of poly(propylene glycol) methacrylate (PPGMA) and 2‐(perfluorooctyl)ethyl methacrylate (FOEMA) as the polymerization dispersants was examined. It was demonstrated that PPGMA and FOEMA copolymers and polymers containing 52–100% FOEMA could be used as effective dispersants for the polymerization, and the composition of the copolymeric dispersant had a dramatic effect on both the polymerization yield and the morphology of the resulting polystyrene. The effects of the concentrations of the copolymeric dispersants, the concentrations of the monomer, and the reaction pressure were also investigated. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 3804–3815, 2003     

Well‐defined poly[(dimethylamimo)ethyl methacrylate]‐b‐poly(fluoroalkyl methacrylate) diblock copolymers: Effects of different fluoroalkyl groups on the solution properties

A series of well‐defined, fluorinated diblock copolymers, poly[2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate]‐b‐poly(2,2,2‐trifluoroethyl methacrylate) (PDMA‐b‐PTFMA), poly[2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate]‐b‐poly(2,2,3,4,4,4‐hexafluorobutyl methacrylate) (PDMA‐b‐PHFMA), and poly[2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate]‐b‐poly(2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5‐octafluoropentyl methacrylate) (PDMA‐b‐POFMA), have been synthesized successfully via oxyanion‐initiated polymerization. Potassium benzyl alcoholate (BzO^?K⁺) was used to initiate DMA monomer to yield the first block PDMA. If not quenched, the first living chain could be subsequently used to initiate a feed F‐monomer (such as TFMA, HFMA, or OFMA) to produce diblock copolymers containing different poly(fluoroalkyl methacrylate) moieties. The composition and chemical structure of these fluorinated copolymers were confirmed by ¹H NMR, ¹⁹F NMR spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) techniques. The solution behaviors of these copolymers containing (tri‐, hexa‐, or octa‐ F‐atom)FMA were investigated by the measurements of surface tension, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and UV spectrophotometer. The results indicate that these fluorinated copolymers possess relatively high surface activity, especially at neutral media. Moreover, the DLS and UV measurements showed that these fluorinated diblock copolymers possess distinct pH/temperature‐responsive properties, depending not only on the PDMA segment but also on the fluoroalkyl structure of the FMA units. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 2702–2712, 2009     

Swelling behavior of strong polyelectrolyte poly(N-t-butylacrylamide-co-acrylamide) hydrogels

Temperature-sensitive ionic hydrogels based on N-t-butylacrylamide (TBA), acrylamide (AAm), 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid sodium salt (AMPS) and N,N^′-methylenebis(acrylamide) (BAAm) monomers were prepared. The molar ratio of TBA to the monomers AAm and AMPS was fixed at 60/40, while the AMPS content of the hydrogels was varied. The elastic modulus of the hydrogels was in the range of 347-447 Pa, much lower than the modulus of PAAm or poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels due to the reduced crosslinking efficiency of BAAm in TBA/AAm copolymerization. The hydrogels exhibited swelling-deswelling transition in water depending on the temperature. Increasing ionic group (AMPS) content resulted in shifting of the transition temperature interval in which the deswelling takes place. The higher the ionic group content, the broader the temperature interval at the phase transition. Ionic hydrogels exhibited first-order reentrant conformational transitions in ethanol-water and in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO)-water mixtures. The higher the ionic group content of the hydrogels the narrower the ethanol (or DMSO) range in which the reentrant phenomena occur. By taking into account the difference of the solvent mixture composition inside and outside the gel, the equilibrium swelling theory provided a satisfactory agreement to the experimental swelling data of the hydrogels immersed in the solvent mixtures.     

聚甲基丙烯酸乙酯的合成与性能研究

通过阴离子聚合反应合成了窄分子量分布(D=1．05-1．2)聚甲基丙烯酸乙酯CPEMA）。运用IR谱、^1HNMR和GPC等手段对合成产物进行了表征,探讨了影响甲基丙烯酸乙酯(EMA)阴离子聚合反应的因素,测定了该聚合物的玻璃化温度Tg,并研究了聚甲基丙烯酸乙酯在不同pH溶液中的降解性能。     

Terpolymerization of methyl methacrylate, poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate or poly(ethylene glycol) ethyl ether methacrylate with methacrylic acid and sodium styrene sulfonate: determination of the reactivity ratios

Materials bearing ionic monomers were obtained through free radical terpolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA), poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PMEM) or poly(ethylene glycol) ethyl ether methacrylate (PEEM) with methacrylic acid (MA) and sodium styrene sulfonate (NaSS). The reactions were carried out in dimethyl sulfoxide using azobis(isobutyronitrile) as initiator. The reactivity ratios of the different couple of monomers were calculated according to the general copolymerization equation using the Finnemann-Ross, Kelen-Tüdos and Tidwell-Mortimer methods. The values of the reactivity ratios indicate that the different monomer units can be considered as randomly distributed along the chains for terpolymerizations of MMA, PMEM or PEEM with MA and NaSS. The average composition of the comonomers in the different terpolymers were calculated, showing a good agreement between the experimental and theoretical compositions. The instantaneous compositions are constant until about 70% of conversion. For higher conversions, the insertion of ionic monomers increases or decreases according to the system studied.     

Target grafting of poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) to biodegradable block copolymers

A series of copolymers composed of methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) and a hydrophobic block of poly(ɛ-caprolactone-co-propargyl carbonate) grafted with poly(2-[dimethylamino]ethyl methacrylate) was synthesized by combining ring opening polymerization, azide-alkyne click reaction, and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Well-defined copolymers with a target composition and a tailored structure were achieved via the grafting from approach by using a single catalytic system for both click reaction and ATRP. Kinetic studies demonstrated the controlled/living character of the employed polymerization methods. The thermal properties and self-assembly in aqueous medium of the graft copolymers were dependent on their composition. The resulting polymeric materials showed low cytotoxicity toward L929 cells, demonstrating their potential for biomedical applications. This type of materials containing cationic side chains tethered to biocompatible and biodegradable segments could be the basis for promising candidates as drug and gene delivery systems.     

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis and Characterization of Poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) Grafted Gellan Gum

Poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethylmethacrylate) was grafted on gellan gum (GG) in aqueous medium under microwave irradiation using ammonium persulfate and N,N,N′N′-tetramethylethylenediamine as the initiation system. Grafted copolymers were characterized by FT-IR, TGA, and SEM techniques. The influence of microwave power, exposure time, and composition of the reaction mixture on extent of grafting was studied. Conditions for obtaining the highest degree of grafting were optimized. The rate of grafting was determined from weight measurements. The overall activation energy for grafting is found to be 31.2 kJ/mol, indicating the occurrence of the grafting process with absorption of low thermal energy.     

Crystallization and melting behavior of poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(n-butyl methacrylate) blends

The phase diagram, crystallization and melting behavior of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)/poly(n-butyl methacrylate) (PnBMA) blends have been investigated using differential scanning calorimetry and optical microscopy. The results show that the blends are miscible up to 85 °C and show an lower critical solution temperature-type demixing at a higher temperature. The isothermal crystallization studies of the blends indicate a reduction in the overall rate of crystallization. Analysis of isothermal crystallization data by means of Avrami equation leads to average values of the Avrami index of 2.5 for pure PEO and 3.0 for the different blend compositions. The melting behavior of the blends reveals double endotherms, which is ascribed to both secondary crystallization and recrystallization. The melting point depression study yielded χ₁₂=0, indicating a relatively low interaction strength.     

Synthesis and characterization of near‐monodisperse electron acceptor homopolymers of 2‐[(3,5‐dinitrobenzoyl)oxy]ethyl methacrylate

Homopolymers of 2‐(trimethylsiloxy)ethyl methacrylate of degrees of polymerization from 5 to 50 were synthesized by group transfer polymerization in tetrahydrofuran (THF) using 1‐methoxy‐1‐(trimethylsiloxy)‐2‐methyl propene as the initiator and tetrabutylammonium bibenzoate as the catalyst. These polymers were first converted to poly[2‐(hydroxy)ethyl methacrylate]s by removal of the trimethylsilyl‐protecting groups by acidic hydrolysis, and subsequently transformed to poly{2‐[(3,5‐dinitrobenzoyl)oxy]ethyl methacrylate}s by reaction with 3,5‐dinitrobenzoyl chloride in the presence of triethylamine. Gel permeation chromatography in THF and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) spectroscopy in CDCl₃ and d₆ dimethyl sulfoxide were used to characterize the polymers in terms of their molecular weight and composition. The molecular weights were found to be close to the values expected from the polymerization stoichiometry and the molecular weight distributions were narrow, with polydispersity indices around 1.1. The hydrolysis and reesterification steps were found to be almost quantitative for all polymers. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis were also employed to measure the glass transition temperatures (T_g 's) and decomposition temperatures, which were determined to be approximately 80 and 320 °C, respectively. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 1457–1465, 2000     

Thermosensitive behavior of poly(ethylene glycol)/poly(2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) double hydrophilic block copolymers

The poly(ethylene glycol)/poly(2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PEG/PDMAEMA) double hydrophilic block copolymers were synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization using mPEG‐Br or Br‐PEG‐Br as macroinitiators. The narrow molecular weight distribution of PEG/PDMAEMA block copolymers was identified by gel permeation chromatography results. The thermosensitivity of PEG/PDMAEMA block copolymers in aqueous solution was revealed to depend significantly on pH, ionic strength, chain structure, and concentration of the block copolymers. By optimizing these factors, the cloud point temperature of PEG/PDMAEMA block copolymers can be limited within body temperature range (30–37 °C), which suggests that PEG/PDMAEMA block copolymers could be a good candidate for drug delivery systems. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 503–508, 2010