Effects of pH,salt, surfactant and composition on phase transition of poly(NIPAm/MAA) nanoparticles

The volume phase transition of poly(NIPAm/MAA) copolymer nanoparticles in buffer solutions at various pH and in aqueous solutions of KCl or ionic surfactants (SDS and DTMAB) was systematically studied using dynamic laser scattering technique. It was found that ionizable MAA groups imparted a responsiveness of the particles to pH and electrolytes. At pH > pKa of the copolymer, electrostatic repulsion of negative charges, mostly from COO⁻ groups, was a governing mechanism for preventing the particles from collapse at T > T_tr. The particles exhibited a sharp volume phase transition upon elimination of the negative charges by decreasing the pH of the medium or by the addition of cationic surfactant. At pH < pKa, the presence of MAA groups enhanced the hydrophobicity of the particles as indicated by a lower T_tr and a sharper volume phase transition. A pH 4 buffer at the same ionic strength exhibited the most significant effect on the particle size and phase transition, followed by the ionic surfactant with an opposite charge (e.g., DTMAB), KCl, and finally the ionic surfactant with the same charge (e.g. SDS). © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2667–2676, 1999