Similar Solubility Parameters Research Articles

Entrapment of Amphipathic Drugs in Core-Shell Polymeric Nanoparticles under Batch Conditions─The Role of Control and Solubility Parameters.

The amphipathic bioactive compounds curcumin, resveratrol, and mitomycin C, which have similar solubility parameter component distributions, have been studied for encapsulation under batch conditions into core-shell nanocarriers composed of external hydrophobically functionalized polyelectrolytes and an inner matrix of polyesters or polyester blends: poly(l-lactide), poly(lactide-co-glycolide), and/or poly(ethylene succinate). Our contribution comprises determining the influence of process parameters on the properties and quality of the final products, namely core-shell nanoparticles loaded with appropriate drugs, according to process analysis technologymanagement. The crucial roles of the organic phase dosing rates and process temperatures were carefully investigated. Moreover, a technically feasible method of removing organic solvents from aqueous dispersions─stripping with inert gas─was employed and evaluated via FT-IR studies. The experiments were supported by the calculation and analysis of solubility parameters (δ) and dispersion (δd), polar (δp), and hydrogen bond (δh) components utilizing HSPiP software. The payload locus and sample morphology were studied via atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses with Ar+ sputtering. It was demonstrated that dosing rates of organic phases not exceeding ca. 0.5 mL/min per 1 L of aqueous dispersion of hydrophobically functionalized polyelectrolytes made it possible to obtain core-shell nanoparticles of ca. 100-150 nm with a very narrow polydispersity (PdI < 0.2). The locus of amphipathic payloads in nanocarriers, mostly within the core polymeric structure, was in good agreement with the results of solubility parameter component studies: water-insoluble polyesters with both polar and nonpolar interactions between chains serve as good host materials for amphipathic drugs.

A comparative study of polyethylene oxide (PEO) using different coarse-graining methods.

Polyethylene oxide (PEO) holds significant importance in the field of batteries due to its high processability, intrinsic properties, and potential for high ionic conductivity. Achieving simulation at different scales is crucial for gaining a comprehensive understanding of its properties and thus improving them. In this context, we conducted a comparative study on the molecular physical structure, thermodynamic, and dynamic properties of PEO using three distinct coarse-grained (CG) procedures and all-atom (AA) simulations. The three CG simulation procedures involved modeling with MARTINI forcefield, SPICA forcefield, and an IBI derived potential from AA simulations. The AA simulation has been performed using the class 2 pcff+ forcefield. The ensuing simulated densities align significantly with the literature data, indicating the reliability of our approach. The solubility parameter from the AA simulation closely corresponds to literature reported values. MARTINI and SPICA yield almost similar solubility parameters, consistent with the similar density predicted by both the forcefields. Notably, SPICA forcefield closely reproduces the intermolecular structure of atomistic systems, as evidenced by radial distribution function (RDF). It also comprehensively replicates the distribution of radius of gyration (Rg) and the end-to-end distance (Re) of the atomistic samples. IBI ranks second to SPICA in emulating the structural properties of the atomistic systems, such as Rg, Re, and RDF. However, IBI falls short in accurately representing the solubility parameter of the amorphous PEO samples, while MARTINI does not provide an accurate representation of the structural properties of the systems. The use of SPICA forcefield results in enhanced dynamics of the systems in comparison with IBI and MARTINI.

Investigation into Pigmentation Behaviors and Mechanism of Pigment Yellow 180 in Different Solvents

To achieve the target colors, pigmentation (post-processing) in solvents is a key process in making Pigment Yellow 180 (PY180), a bis azo pigment. In this work, the solvent effect on the pigmentation behavior of PY180 was studied based on the Hansen solubility parameters (HSPs) and the molecular polarity index (MPI) method. First, the samples were characterized using FTIR, XRD, and TEM, and the colorimetric analysis was performed using the CIE L*a*b* color space model. It was found that the color hues obtained in ten solvents are different, with the overall color variation from reddish–yellow to greenish–yellow. Further characterization confirmed that the crystallinity and particle size increase of PY180 during the pigmentation mainly account for the variation of the chromaticity. Then, HSPs were introduced to understand how suspension behavior affects the dissolution–reprecipitation process. It shows that high-quality pigments can be obtained from solvents generally with low HSP differences (Δδ) between the solvents and PY180. To compensate for the inaccurate prediction of the HSPs method, MPI was used to value the influence of solvent molecular polarity. The results show that among solvents with similar solubility parameters to PY180, the stronger the molecular polarity index (MPI) of the solvent, the greater the color variation of the pigments. Meanwhile, different solvents influence the crystallization behavior of the low soluble system, which was supplemented by the above study.

Structure, and Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Vinyl-Polydimethylsiloxane/Zinc Dimethacrylate/Isobutylene-Isoprene Rubber Composites

The vinyl-polydimethylsiloxane (v-PDMS) composite reinforced by micron size ZDMA particles previously showed high modulus, thermal stability, solvent-proofness, and good processing ability. However, its poor damping properties limited usages. Thus, incorporation of new polymers into the composite was imperative to improve its loss factors. With a similar solubility parameter and good damping properties, isobutylene-isoprene rubber (IIR) was melt-blended in, then heat-pressed and cross-linked. The v-PDMS/ZDMA/IIR composites gotten were characterized by scanning electric microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), mechanical tests, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) methods. The IR spectra of the composites illustrated that the incorporation of IIR was successful. The SEM observation showed good dispersion of the IIR, and the increasing deformation on the surface with growing dosage of IIR. The incorporation of IIR rubber decreased the composite’s modulus sharply and also the tensile strength, but improved the elongation and damping properties of the v-PDMS/ZDMA composites at low temperature. The TGA test results in N2 gas showed the composites had good thermal stability below 350 °C, then deteriorated at higher temperature owing to the decomposition of the IIR at 400 °C. The decomposition activation energy at 400 °C was determined by the Kissinger method.

The Dynamic Interaction of Surfactants with Colloidal Molybdenum Disulfide Nanosheets Calls for Thermodynamic Stabilization by Solvents.

Top-down liquid-phase exfoliation (LPE) and bottom-up hot-injection synthesis are scalable methods to produce colloids of two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) solids. Generally thought off as two entirely different fields, we show that similar stabilization mechanisms apply to colloids of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) produced by both methods. By screening the colloidal stability of MoS2 produced in a hot-injection synthesis in a wide range of solvents, we observe that colloidal stability can be understood based on solution thermodynamics, wherein matching the solubility parameter of solvent and nanomaterial maximizes colloidal stability. Identical to MoS2 produced through LPE, optimal solvents to disperse MoS2 produced from the bottom-up have similar solubility parameters of ≈22 MPa1/2 and include aromatic solvents with polar functionalities, such as o-dichlorobenzene, and polar aprotic solvents, such as N,N-dimethylformamide. We further complemented our findings by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrscopy, highlighting that organic surfactants, such as oleylamine and oleic acid, have a minimal affinity toward the nanocrystal surface and engage in a highly dynamic adsorption/desorption equilibrium. We thus conclude that hot injection yields MoS2 colloids with comparable surfaces as those produced by LPE. These similarities might offer the prospect of using established procedures developed for LPE nanomaterials to postprocess colloidally synthesized dispersions of 2D colloids as processable inks.

Mesoscale Simulation Based on the Dynamic Mean-Field Density Functional Method on Block-Copolymeric Ionomers for Polymer Electrolyte Membranes.

Block copolymers generally have peculiar morphological characteristics, such as strong phase separation. They have been actively applied to polymer electrolyte membranes for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) to obtain well-defined hydrophilic regions and water channels as a proton pathway. Although molecular simulation tools are advantageous to investigate the mechanism of water channel formation based on the chemical structure and property relationships, classical molecular dynamics simulation has limitations regarding the model size and time scale, and these issues need to be addressed. In this study, we investigated the morphology of sulfonated block copolymers synthesized for PEM applications using a mesoscale simulation based on the dynamic mean-field density functional method, widely applied to investigate macroscopic systems such as polymer blends, micelles, and multi-block/grafting copolymers. Despite the similar solubility parameters of the monomers in our block-copolymer models, very different morphologies in our 3D mesoscale models were obtained. The model with sulfonated monomers, in which the number of sulfonic acid groups is twice that of the other model, showed better phase separation and water channel formation, despite the short length of its hydrophilic block. In conclusion, this unexpected behavior indicates that the role of water molecules is important in making PEM mesoscale models well-equilibrated in the mesoscale simulation, which results in the strong phase separation between hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions and the ensuing well-defined water channel. PEM synthesis supports the conclusion that using the sulfonated monomers with a high sulfonation degree (32.5 mS/cm) will be more effective than using the long hydrophilic block with a low sulfonation degree (25.2 mS/cm).

Microporous Matrimid/PIM-1 Thin Film Composite Membranes with Narrow Pore Size Distribution used for Molecular Separation in Organic Solvents.

Polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIMs) are a class of microporous organic materials that contain interconnected pores of less than 2nm in diameter. Such materials are of great potential used in membranes for molecular separation, such as drug fractionation in pharmaceutical industry. However, the PIMs membranes are often susceptible to low separation selectivity toward different molecules due to their wide pore size distribution. Herein, a linear polyimide, Matrimid, is incorporated with PIM-1 (a typical member of PIMs) by solution blending, and the blends are dip-coated onto a polyimide P84 support membrane to prepare thin-film composite (TFC) membranes to control pore size distribution while keep high microporosity. The component miscibility, pore characteristics, and molecular separation performances of the Matrimid/PIM-1 TFC membranes are investigated in detail. The Matrimid and PIM-1 are partially miscible due to their similar Hansen solubility parameters. The Matrimid endows the selective layers (coatings) with narrower pore size distribution due to more compact chain packing. The prepared Matrimid/PIM-1 TFC membranes show high selectivity for separation of riboflavin (80% of retention) and isatin (only 5% of retention). The developed membranes exhibit great potential for separating molecules with different molecular weights.

Reconfigurable Mechanochromic Patterns into Chameleon-Inspired Photonic Papers.

Photonic crystal (PC) patterns have shown wide applications in optical devices, information encryption, anticounterfeiting, etc. Unfortunately, it is still a great challenge to reconfigure the PC patterns once fabricated. Herein, a new strategy is presented to reconfigure self-recordable PC patterns by printing local patterns into the chameleon-inspired PC papers using the phase change material (PCM) as ink and then erasing the patterns in ethanol. Multicolor and high-resolution (25 and 75 μm for dot and lines, respectively) patterns can be efficiently and repeatedly reconfigured. In addition, the photonic patterns based on the PC paper and PCM combinations are gifted with mechanochromic characteristics and can show programmable and reversible color change under pressure. The high melting point of the ink, nonclosely packed structures of the PC paper, and the similar solubility parameter of PC paper, PCM, and ethanol are the keys for all these characteristics. This work offers a simple, flexible, efficient way to reconfigure PC patterns with mechanochromic properties and could open up exciting applications for novel hand-operation-based anticounterfeiting and optical devices.

Unraveling Sequence Effect on Glass Transition Temperatures of Discrete Unconjugated Oligomers.

Sequence plays a critical role in enabling unique properties and functions of natural biomolecules, which has promoted the rapid advancement of synthetic sequence-defined polymers in recent decades. Particularly, investigation of short chain sequence-defined oligomers (also called discrete oligomers) on their properties has become a hot topic. However, most studies have focused on discrete oligomers with conjugated structures. In contrast, unconjugated oligomers remain relatively underexplored. In this study, three pairs of discrete oligomers with the same composition but different sequence for each pair are employed for investigating their glass transition temperatures (Tg s). The resultant Tg s of sequenced oligomers in each pair are found to be significantly different (up to 11.6°C), attributable to variations in molecular packing as demonstrated by molecular dynamics and density function theory simulations. Intermolecular interaction is demonstrated to have less impact on Tg s than intramolecular interaction. The mechanistic investigation into two model dimers suggests that monomer sequence caused the difference in intramolecular rotational flexibility of the sequenced oligomers. In addition, despite having different monomer sequence and Tg s, the oligomers have very similar solubility parameters, which supports their potential use as effective oligomeric plasticizers to tune the Tg s of bulk polymer materials.

A Novel Approach towards Removal of Lipid Barrier from Wool Fibers’ Surface Using Thermophilic Lipase

ABSTRACT The hydrophobic nature of wool caused by the surface lipid barrier impedes any wet processes of wool fibers. The conventional methods that utilize alkaline solutions for removing this lipid layer are deteriorative for the fiber. The use of enzymes in textile industry is one of the most rapidly growing fields in industrial enzymology because of eco-friendly and nontoxic characteristics. Therefore, this work is aimed at isolation of thermophilic strains from a soil sample in a hot region. The bacterial strain Bacillus aerius strain 24 K showed the maximum extracellular lipase activity (150 ± 1.03 U/ml) among the seven investigated strains. The locally produced thermophilic lipase enzyme was utilized in scouring as well as one-bath scouring and dyeing of wool. The effect of enzyme concentration, treatment temperature, and time on the dyeability of wool fibers with acid, reactive, and basic dyes was investigated. The results of this investigation proved that the extracted thermophilic lipase enzyme is an appropriate candidate for enhancing the dyeability of wool prior to the dyeing process. One-bath scouring and dyeing of wool were successfully conducted to save energy and water. Unlike the conventionally scoured wool, bio-scoured wool exhibits similar chemical composition and solubility parameters to those of untreated wool.

Organic vapour permeation in amorphous and semi-crystalline rubbery membranes: Experimental data versus prediction by solubility parameters

The applicability of Hansen and Hoftyzer and van Krevelen solubility parameters for the prediction of potential VOC/N2 separation efficiency was analysed with both new experiments and literature data. It was found that Hansen solubility parameters can be successfully applied for the prediction of permeability order of some types of volatile organic compounds (VOC). The results show limited predictability of solubility parameters for a cyclic hydrocarbon. The principle was tested with the low-permeable polyethylene representing an organophilic membrane material with very similar Hansen solubility parameters as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). PDMS was selected as a commercially used membrane material in VOC/N2 separation with high permeability, above 20,500 Barrer for hexane, 13,500 Barrer for cyclohexane, 12,900 Barrer for 2,2,4-trimethylpentane and 11,100 Barrer for ethanol vapours, respectively. The analysis was extended to two polyether-polyamide block-copolymers (Pebax® 2533 and Pebax® 1657) to cover different polymeric materials in the whole Hansen database. The analysis showed a deviating trend for Pebax® 2533, caused by its anisotropic microstructure, in which the transport is dominated by the flexible poly (tetramethylene oxide) phase. This suggests the need for a revised model, including parameters that describe the microstructure for this type of copolymer. Further tuning of the model is needed to improve the predictions for cyclic and aromatic compounds, for instance by introducing properties that correlate with diffusivity.

Rapid Fabrication of Alcohol Responsive Photonic Prints with Changeable Color Contrasts for Anti‐Counterfeiting Application

AbstractEfficient fabrication of responsive photonic prints (RPPs) with specific functionalities is imminently desired owing to its applications in display, anti‐photobleaching, and anti‐counterfeiting. Here, RPPs with changeable color contrasts are fabricated through the region selective swelling of the swellable photonic crystals paper with 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) as ink followed by fixing the structures of the swelled regions by photopolymerization. The fabrication process is considerable simple, fast, and efficient, and multicolor RPPs with any desired patterns can be generated within 6 min. Different from the dual/triple color contrasts of conventional RPPs, the as‐prepared RPPs can instantly and reversibly show five color contrasts [(blue/transparent/green/yellow/red)‐red] in the alcohol solution owing to the asymmetric swelling behavior between the background and pattern. The similar solubility parameter between the photonic paper and HEMA/ethanol is the key for the fast fabrication process and abundant color contrasts of RPPs in solvents. The simple and rapid fabrications as well as the responsive properties will extend the applications of RPPs in color display, information storage, and anti‐counterfeiting.

Liquid-Phase Exfoliation of Rhenium Disulfide by Solubility Parameter Matching.

In this work, we provide a detailed account of the liquid-phase exfoliation (LPE) of rhenium disulfide (ReS2), a promising new-generation two-dimensional material. By screening LPE in a wide range of solvents, we show that the most optimal solvents are characterized by similar Hildebrand or dispersive Hansen solubility parameters of 25 and 18 MPa1/2, respectively. Such values are attained by solvents such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, N,N-dimethylformamide, and 1-butanol. In line with solution thermodynamics, we interpret the conditions for high-yield exfoliation as a matching of the solvent and ReS2 solubility parameters. Using N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone as an exemplary exfoliation solvent, we undertook a detailed analysis of the exfoliated ReS2. In-depth morphological, structural, and elemental characterization outlined that the LPE procedure presented here produces few-layer, anisotropically stacked, and chemically pure ReS2 platelets with long-term stability against oxidation. These results underscore the suitability of LPE to batch-produce few-layer and pristine ReS2 in solvents that have a solubility parameter close to 25 MPa1/2.

Functional monodisperse microspheres fabricated by solvothermal precipitation co-polymerization

Simultaneous achievement in high solid content and high microsphere yield is deemed a challenge in the fabrication of monodisperse microspheres by precipitation polymerization. We herein demonstrate that micro-sized monodisperse poly(methacrylic monomer-divinylbenzene) microspheres containing epoxy, lauyl, carboxyl and hydroxyl functions can be fabricated by solvothermal precipitation co-polymerization at 20% (mass) monomer loading with over 94% microsphere yield. The morphology and porosity of the obtained particles can be readily tuned by cosolvent-acetonitrile binary solvents. Addition of a small amount of cosolvent that has similar solubility parameter to that of the functional monomer can significantly improve the monodispersity of the obtained microspheres. When tetrahydrofuran was used as the co-solvent, the surface area of the highly porous microspheres achieved higher than 400 m 2 ·g −1 . Solvothermal precipitation co-polymerization can be expected in scale-up fabrication of various monodisperse functional microspheres free of any surfactant and additive.

Sustainable PHBV/Cellulose Acetate Blends: Effect of a Chain Extender and a Plasticizer

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and cellulose acetate (CA) were blended in the presence of a plasticizer, i.e., triethyl citrate (TEC), and a chain extender, i.e., poly(styrene-acrylic-co-glycidyl methacrylate). To increase the ductility and impact properties of PHBV and to investigate a new biodegradable PHBV-based blend for sustainable packaging, CA was compatibilized with TEC. PHBV and plasticized CA (pCA) blends showed complete immiscibility through separate glass transition and melting peak temperatures in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), despite the similar Hansen solubility parameters of PHBV, CA, and TEC, indicating partial miscibility. Phase separation between PHBV and pCA was clearly observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). PHBV/pCA (70:30) blends had improved impact strength, exceeding that of neat PHBV and pCA, which is attributed to PHBV porosity induced by degradation from the high processing temperature. During processing, the plasticizer migrated from CA to PHBV and partially plasticized it, as evidenced through DSC analysis. The melt temperature of PHBV was reduced, which was confirmed by double melting peaks, representing the formation of secondary crystallites at a lower temperature. Due to processing at high temperatures (210–220 °C), significant porosity was observed in the PHBV/pCA 30:70 blend in SEM analysis. Consequently, the impact strength was improved by 110% as compared to that of virgin PHBV. The addition of CE had no effect on the mechanical properties but did make the PHBV/pCA blends morphologically uniform.

Compatibilization and toughness modification of linear aliphatic epoxy compound on paving epoxy asphalt

Epoxy asphalt (EA), which is usually prepared by diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA), curing agent and asphalt, is a kind of high-performance pavement material in highway construction. However, because of rigid molecular structure of DGEBA, poor compatibility with asphalt and high cross-linking density of three-dimensional network, cured EA usually has high strength but poor toughness especially at low temperature. In order to solve the problem of insufficient toughness of EA below glass-transition temperature (Tg) and eliminate the potential brittle fracture of EA mixture, linear aliphatic epoxy compounds, which have low viscosity, good molecular flexibility, similar solubility parameter and polarity with asphalt or DGEBA resin, can be used as phase structure controller and toughner to modify EA. By introducing a little of linear aliphatic epoxy compound, such as 1, 4-butanediol diglycidyl ether (BDDGE) or 1, 6-hexanediol diglycidyl ether (HDDGE), not only the viscosity of EA could be significantly decreased during the curing process, but also the phase compatibility of EA could be improved. An obvious reduction in storage modulus (E′) at low temperature and decreased Tg also prove that BDDGE or HDDGE modified EA have better toughness than neat EA at low temperature. The optimum amount of linear aliphatic epoxy compound based on its mixture with DGEBA should be 10–15 wt%.

The removal of bronze paint repairs from overgilded picture frames using an Erbium:YAG laser

The removal of old repairs made using metal flake paint, commonly referred to as bronze paint, has often been difficult to achieve from gilded wood and especially from oil gilded surfaces with similar solubility parameters. Conservators at the National Trust's Knole Conservation Studio in the UK treated gilded picture frames from the Knole House collection using an energy-attenuated Fotona (Dualis XS) Erbium:YAG laser, with fluencies between 0.5 and 1.0J/cm2, pre-wetted with hydroxyl and non-hydroxyl group-containing solvents. Comparisons of the effects of cleaning using only solvents and with the laser were made, and cross-sectional and media composition analysis carried out using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX), Raman and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies.

Supersaturable organic-inorganic hybrid matrix based on well-ordered mesoporous silica to improve the bioavailability of water insoluble drugs

Mesoporous silica with uniform 2-D hexagonal pores has been newly employed as facile reservoir to impove the dissolution rate of water insoluble drugs. However, rapid drug release from mesoporous silica is usually accompanied by the generation of supersaturated solution, which leads to the drug precipitation and compromised absorption. To address this issue, a supersaturated ternary hybrid system was constructed in this study by utilizing inorganic mesoporous silica and organic precipitation inhibitor. Vinylprrolidone-vinylacetate copolymer (PVP VA64) with similar solubility parameter to model drug fenofibrate (FNB) was expected to well inhibit the precipitation. Mesoporous silica Santa Barbara amorphous-15 (SBA-15) was synthesized in acidic media and hybrid matrix was produced by hot melt extrusion technique. The results of in vitro supersaturation dissolution test obviously revealed that the presence of PVP VA64 could effectively sustain a higher apparent concentration. PVP VA64 was suggested to simultaneously reduce the rate of nucleation and crystal growth and subsequently maintain a metastable supersaturated state. The absorption of FNB delivered by the organic-inorganic hybrid matrix was remarkably enhanced in beagle dogs, and its AUC value was 1.92-fold higher than that of FNB loaded mesoporous silica without PVP VA 64. In conclusion, the supersaturated organic-inorganic hybrid matrix can serve as a modular strategy to enhance the oral availability of water insoluble drugs.

A systematic study of dyeing polybutylene succinate fibres

AbstractBiodegradable polybutylene succinate (PBS) fibre is a new type of textile fibre, but its application in the textile industry is limited by the lack of related dyeing methods. In this study, the solubility parameters of PBS fibres are calculated, and solvent dyes with similar solubility parameters are proposed to dye PBS fibres to show that the dyeing scheme creatively resolves the difficulty in dyeing PBS fibres. The technical parameters of suitable dyes, and the dyeing conditions with ethanol as the dyeing medium, consisted of a dyeing temperature of 90°C, a dyeing time of 30 minutes and a liquor ratio of 30:1. The dyeing results show that the levelling property is good, the dyebath exhaustion is high, and the washing fastness, the rubbing fastness and the perspiration fastness index of the dyed fibres are satisfactory.

Polymer-infiltrated SiO2 inverse opal photonic crystals for colorimetrically selective detection of xylene vapors

Xylenes are common aromatic volatile organic compounds, which can cause severe environmental pollution and healthy issues. The current instrumental detection methods are generally expensive, time-consuming, complex, and unable to be used for on-site detection. It is thus highly desirable to develop an efficient method for the detection of xylenes. In this study, we report the development of a polymer infiltrated SiO2 inverse opal photonic crystal (IOPC) for selective detection of xylene vapors. Poly(4-vinylbenzyl chloride-co-methyl methacrylate) (P(VBC-co-MMA)), which shows strong affinity towards xylenes because of their similar solubility parameters, was synthesized and infiltrated into SiO2 IOPC (P(VBC-co-MMA)-SiO2 IOPC). The resulting P(VBC-co-MMA)-SiO2 IOPC sensor shows color change from green to red upon exposure to xylene vapors as the diffusion and adsorption of gaseous xylenes increased the effective refractive index of the IOPC. It shows good sensitivity with a limit of detection of 0.51, 0.41 and 0.17 μg mL−1 for o-xylene, m-xylene, and p-xylene, respectively. The sensor also shows excellent selectivity for xylenes over other organic vapors. In addition, the P(VBC-co-MMA)-SiO2 IOPC sensor demonstrates quick response and good reversibility. This polymer infiltrated IOPC sensor provides a universal strategy for the detection of organic vapors through building a sensor using polymers with similar solubility parameters to targeting vapors.