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Abstract
Herein, we developed a simple procedure for synthesizing micrometer-sized microgel particles as a suspension in an aqueous solution and thin films deposited as shells on different inorganic cores. A sufficiently high constant potential was applied to the working electrode to commence the initiator decomposition that resulted in gelation. Under hydrodynamic conditions, this initiation allowed preparing different morphology microgels at room temperature. Importantly, neither heating nor UV-light illumination was needed to initiate the polymerization. Moreover, thin films of the cross-linked gel were anchored on different core substrates, including silica and magnetic nanoparticles. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy imaging confirmed the microgel particles’ and films’ irregular shape and porous structure. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy indicated that the core coating with the microgel film was successful. Dynamic light scattering measured the micrometer size of gel particles with different combinations of acrylic monomers. Thermogravimetric analysis and the first-derivative thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the microgels’ thermal stability of different compositions was different. Fourier-transform infrared and 13C NMR spectroscopy showed successful copolymerization of the main, functional, and cross-linking monomers.
Highlights
Microgels are cross-linked polymer particles with their size ranging from nanometers to micrometers
Polyacrylamide microgels were prepared as particle suspensions in aqueous solutions and thin films grafted over silica NPs and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs)
The silica and MNPs used as cores were successfully coated with the microgel films prepared with various monomer combinations
Summary
Microgels are cross-linked polymer particles with their size ranging from nanometers to micrometers. The electrochemically initiated polymerization facilitated the microgel preparation in an aqueous solution at room temperature. NIPAM, methacrylic acid (MA), and BIS were selected as the main and cross-linking monomers for the electrochemically initiated microgel preparation in the presence and absence of core supports. A sufficiently high constant potential applied to the working electrode can initiate the gelation.[37,40,41] Like other gelation methods, electrochemical gelation is a free-radical cross-linking polymerization, commencing after the initiator decomposition.[38] a gel film was grafted in the present study over the iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and silica nanobeads via electrochemically induced polymerization. The left overnight solution for polymerization showed no gelation without electrochemical initiation
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