Poly(acrylamide-co-2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic Acid) Nanogels made by Inverse Microemulsion Polymerization

Poly(acrylamide-co-2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) poly(AM-co-AMPSA) nanogels were prepared through inverse microemulsion polymerization with low AMPSA/AM weight ratio in the feed (up to 0.3357) to control particle size and pH sensitivity. An aqueous solution of AM and AMPSA was used as the dispersed phase for microemulsion with sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT)/Toluene solution as the dispersion medium. The polymerization was carried out at 50°C in the presence of 2,2-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) and N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (NMBA) as an initiator and a crosslinker, respectively. Fourier transform infra red spectrophotometer (FTIR) and ¹H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-NMR) studies confirm the occurrence of copolymerization between the two monomers. The hydrodynamic diameter of synthesized poly(AM-co-AMPSA) nanogels is found to be in the range of 63–125nm as measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS). The equilibrium swelling and the effect of pH on particle size of copolymer nanogel are found to depend on the copolymer composition. The polymer chain composition, thermal properties and morphology of nanogels were measured by elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively.