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New Route to Smart Core‐Shell Polymeric Microgels: Synthesis and Properties
Author(s) -
Leung Man Fai,
Zhu Junmin,
Harris Frank W.,
Li Pei
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
macromolecular rapid communications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.348
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1521-3927
pISSN - 1022-1336
DOI - 10.1002/marc.200400362
Subject(s) - chitosan , materials science , poly(n isopropylacrylamide) , polymer chemistry , chemical engineering , transmission electron microscopy , aqueous solution , polymer , shell (structure) , copolymer , core (optical fiber) , nanotechnology , composite material , chemistry , organic chemistry , engineering
Summary: A new method has been developed to prepare smart polymeric microgels that consist of well‐defined temperature‐sensitive cores with pH‐sensitive shells. The microgels were obtained directly from aqueous graft copolymerizations of N ‐isopropylacrylamide and N , N‐ methylenebisacrylamide from water‐soluble polymers containing amino groups such as poly(ethyleneimine) and chitosan. The gel diameters ranged from 300 to 400 nm. The unique core‐shell nanostructures, which had narrow size distributions, exhibited tuneable responses to pH and temperature.Transmission electron micrograph of the poly( N ‐isopropylacrylamide)/chitosan core‐shell microgels.