Abstract
In this study, triethyleneglycol methacrylate (TREGMA) containing long functional hydrophilic side chains (viz., -(-OCH2CH2-)3-OH), was selected to copolymerize with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) for the first time to prepare temperature-sensitive microgels. The structure and morphology of the microgels obtained were investigated through 1H NMR, transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Experimental results show that TREGMA can copolymerize well with NIPAM to prepare microgels with regular spherical morphology. Investigation on the volume phase transition of the microgels through turbidimetric method, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) reveals that incorporation of hydrophilic side chains -(-OCH2CH2-)3-OH has strong influence on the sizes, size distribution and the deswelling properties of the microgels. The microgels exhibit much larger deswelling ratios (α) than pure poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)(pNIPAM) microgels. Foremost, the volume-phase transition temperature (VPTT) of the microgels can be modulated to well close to the normal body temperature of human beings. The characteristic makes the microgels competitive candidates for biomaterials.
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