Abstract
A stimuli-responsive poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/sodium alginate (SA) blend monolith with nanoscale porous (mesoporous) structure is successfully fabricated by thermally impacted non-solvent induced phase separation (TINIPS) method. The PVA/SA blend monolith with different SA contents is conveniently fabricated in an aqueous methanol without any templates. The solvent suitable for the fabrication of the present blend monolith by TINIPS is different with that of the PVA monolith. The nanostructural control of the blend monolith is readily achieved by optimizing the fabrication conditions. Brunauer Emmett Teller measurement shows that the obtained blend monolith has a large surface area. Pore size distribution plot for the blend monolith obtained by the non-local density functional theory method reveals the existence of the nanoscale porous structure. Fourier transform infrared analysis reveals the strong interactions between PVA and SA. The pH-responsive property of the blend monolith is investigated on the basis of swelling ratio in different pH solutions. The present blend monolith of biocompatible and biodegradable PVA and SA with nanoscale porous structure has large potential for applications in biomedical and environmental fields.
Highlights
Polymer-based monoliths which emerged in the early 1990s have attracted significant attention during about 20 years of progress
We reported fabrication of a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) monolith via thermally impacted non-solvent induced phase separation (TINIPS) [10]
When the methanol ratio of the mixed solvent is more than 60%, the precipitation takes place very quickly during the phase separation, resulting in no formation of the monolith
Summary
Polymer-based monoliths which emerged in the early 1990s have attracted significant attention during about 20 years of progress Up to now, they have been applied for various fields such as chromatography, biomolecule immobilization, and support catalysis, because of their predominant pH stability, nonspecific interaction, and fast mass transfer performance [1-4]. Some efforts have been made to introduce functional groups onto the pore surface of polymer monoliths, providing stimuli-responsive properties [7] In most cases, such monoliths should be fabricated by polymerization of monomers and subsequent surface functionalization. For both processes, time-consuming procedures for Recently, we developed a novel method for preparation of the polymer-based monolith directly from a polymer by means of either thermally induced phase separation or nonsolvent induced phase separation (NIPS). We have fabricated monoliths of hydrophobic polymers such as polyacrylonitrile, polycarbonate, and polymethacrylates through this method [8,9]
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