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One‐Pot Synthesis of Microcapsules with Nanoscale Inclusions
Author(s) -
Hu Xiaobo,
Tong Zhen,
Lyon L. Andrew
Publication year - 2011
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.201100338
Subject(s) - materials science , nanoscopic scale , shell (structure) , covalent bond , chemical engineering , polymer chemistry , core (optical fiber) , nanotechnology , chemistry , composite material , organic chemistry , engineering
Temperature responsive poly( N ‐isopropylmethacrylamide) (pNIPMAm) microgel capsules around 1 µm containing multiple poly( N ‐isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAm) nanoinclusions were prepared. This structure was achieved through the addition of a cross‐linked pNIPMAm shell to stable, monodispersed aggregates of pNIPAm chains. This one‐pot synthetic approach resulted in core/shell microgels at high temperature wherein only the shell (pNIPMAm) component contained stable, covalent cross‐links between chains. Thus, upon decreasing the temperature following synthesis, the majority of the encapsulated pNIPAm chains escaped from the shell, resulting in nearly hollow microcapsules. Remnant pNIPAm segments in the microcapsule then form nanoparticulate inclusions upon raising the temperature.