Copolymer Solutions Research Articles

Preparation of poly(acrylamide‐co‐2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropan sulfonic acid)‐g‐Carboxymethyl cellulose/Titanium dioxide hydrogels and modeling of their swelling capacity and mechanic strength behaviors by response surface method technique

AbstractIt is very important that new generation, unique, high mechanical strength, and biocompatible hydrogel composites are developed due to their potential to be used as biomaterials in the biomedical field. Modeling of the swelling capacity and mechanical strength behavior of hydrogels is a domain of steadily increasing academic and industrial importance. These behaviors are difficult to model accurately due to hydrogels show very complex behavior depending on the content. In this study, a series of poly(acrylamide‐co‐2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropan sulfonic acid)‐g‐carboxymethyl cellulose/TiO2 (poly(AAm‐co‐AMPS)‐g‐CMC/TiO2) superabsorbent hydrogel composites were prepared by free‐radical graft copolymerization in aqueous solution. Structural and surface morphology characterizations were conducted by using Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope analysis techniques. For modeling the equilibrium swelling capacity and fracture strength behaviors of hydrogels, the composition parameters (such as mole ratio of AMPS/AAm, wt% of CMC, and wt% of TiO2) was proposed by response surface method (RSM) Design Expert‐10 software. Statistical parameters showed that the RSM model has good performance in modeling the swelling capacity and mechanic fracture strength behaviors of poly(AAm‐co‐AMPS)‐g‐CMC/TiO2 hydrogel composites. According to the RSM model results, the maximum swelling capacity and fracture strength values were calculated as 270.39 g water/g polymer and 159.23 kPa, respectively.

Interactions and Dynamics in Aqueous Solutions of pH-Responsive Polymers: A Combined Fluorescence and Dielectric Relaxation Study.

Interaction and dynamics of aqueous solutions of pH-responsive smart polymers are investigated via steady-state, time-resolved fluorescence emission spectroscopy with the help of external local reporter coumarin 153 (C153), while MHz to GHz dielectric relaxation spectroscopic (DRS) measurement reports the intrinsic medium relaxation features. A series of pH-responsive random copolymers (DPL-DP60) comprising of a pH-responsive moiety 2-((leucinyl)oxy)ethyl methacrylate (l-Leu-HEMA) and hydrophobic methyl methacrylate (MMA) are synthesized and characterized. A balance between the pH-responsive (l-Leu-HEMA) and the hydrophobic (MMA) content dictates the phase transition pH, which is found to be ∼5-7 for these aqueous copolymer solutions (1 mg/mL). Dynamic light scattering measurements in aqueous solutions of these polymers reflect a small particle size (∼2-8 nm) at solution pH below their individual phase transition pH, while a large particle size (∼140-340 nm) forms beyond their phase transition pH. No signature of a phase transition pH-driven abrupt change in static and dynamic properties of aqueous polymer solutions has been registered from pH-dependent dielectric relaxation as well as solute (C153)-centric fluorescence measurements. A significant impact of varying the l-Leu-HEMA/MMA segment ratio on steady-state fluorescence emission and rotational anisotropy decay of the fluorophore solute (C153) has been observed. MHz to GHz DRS in aqueous solutions of these pH-responsive polymers reflects bulk water-like dielectric features.

Injectable Temperature/Glucose Dual-Responsive Hydrogels for Controlled Release of Insulin

Self-regulating insulin controlled-release systems have gained more attention due to their advantages of timely response to blood glucose change and avoiding side effects caused by the high-frequency injection. In this paper, the temperature-responsive monomer N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and glucose-responsive monomer 3-acrylamidophenylboronic acid (AAPBA) are copolymerized and then grafted with alginate to prepare temperature/glucose dual-responsive copolymers alginate-g-P(NIPAM-co-AAPBA) (Alg-g-PNA). The temperature and glucose responsiveness under different conditions, rheological characteristics, glucose-mediated insulin release, and biotoxicity of the Alg-g-PNA copolymers are studied. The results show that the copolymer solution is in the sol state at 10 °C and insulin can be dispersed uniformly, while it turns into the gel state when the temperature rises to physiological 37 °C for in situ delivery of insulin. Due to the sensitivity to blood glucose levels, the hydrogels can quickly respond to the increase in blood glucose and undergo the gel-to-sol transition and release insulin to reduce blood glucose when the environmental blood glucose rises. Moreover, the hydrogels have good sol–gel transition reversibility in response to changes between normoglycemic and hyperglycemic levels. The cell cytotoxicity results show that the hydrogels have good biocompatibility to be a safe carrier for insulin delivery. The proposed injectable temperature/glucose dual-responsive hydrogels in this study provide a novel type of self-regulating insulin delivery systems for diabetes therapy.

Synthesis of thermosensitive copolymers of N-isopropylacrylamide with 2-aminoethylmethacrylate hydrochloride

Objectives. Due to the increasing number of oncological diseases, active research into developing new radiopharmaceuticals is underway. Thermosensitive copolymers have valuable physicochemical properties that can be harnessed to develop therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals for treating solid tumors. The aim of this study was to develop a method for producing thermosensitive copolymers that can find use as radionuclide carriers to create therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals for treating solid tumors.Methods. Using radical copolymerization in polar solvents, we synthesized water-soluble copolymers based on N-isopropyl acrylamide and 2-aminoethyl methacrylate hydrochloride. The resulting copolymers were characterized in terms of molecular composition and hydrodynamic properties using gel permeation chromatography, IR spectroscopy, potentiometry, and viscometry. Changes in optical density during temperature scanning helped determine the phase transition temperature (PTT) of aqueous copolymer solutions.Results. We developed a method for preparing copolymers of N-isopropylacrylamide with 2-aminoethyl methacrylate using radical copolymerization in water and isopropanol with a content of 2-aminoethyl methacrylate hydrochloride in a copolymer up to 23 mol %. We studied how the second comonomer affected the PTT of the aqueous copolymer solutions. An increase in the content of 2-aminoethyl methacrylate in the copolymer caused the PTT to increase. We found that the change in the PTT depending on the content of 2-aminoethyl methacrylate units in the copolymer had a straightforward relationship with its content up to 17 mol %. The use of physiological saline as a solvent led to a temperature decrease of the phase transition by two degrees.Conclusions. The method of producing thermosensitive copolymers by radical copolymerization in isopropanol does not allow creating a radionuclide carrier. Solutions of the obtained lowmolecular weight oligomers form coacervate solutions, which will inevitably cause the radionuclide to spread throughout the body. The copolymers obtained by radical copolymerization in water with the content of the second comonomer 2-aminoethyl methacrylate from 10–17 mol % can be used as a radionuclides carrier provided that a physiological solution of sodium chloride is used as a solvent.

Design of gel-to-sol UCST transition peptides by controlling polypeptide β-sheet nanostructures

Creating stimulus-responsive materials solely by controlling polypeptide secondary nanostructures is challenging. We synthesized a methyl poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(O-benzyl-L-threonine) (mPEG-PBnLT) diblock copolymer that exhibited gel-to-sol UCST (Upper Critical Solution Temperature) transition behavior in an aqueous solution. The transition temperature window was easily adjusted by changing the copolymer concentration or length of the PBnLT block. Disassembly of the initial β-sheet nanoassemblies caused nanofibril transformation to spherical aggregates with increasing temperature, resulting in a gel-to-sol UCST transition. This result inspires a brand-new strategy for the structural design and functional control of materials. A novel thermoresponsive diblock copolymer of methyl poly (ethylene glycol)-b-poly (O-benzyl-L-threonine) was synthesized. The copolymer solutions exhibited gel-to-sol UCST transition behavior with temperature. The gel-to-sol transition was due to the disassembly of the initial β-sheet layered nanoassemblies that induced the transformation of self-organized morphology from nanosized fibrils to spherical aggregates.

Polyacrylamide Grafted Xanthan: Microwave-Assisted Synthesis and Rheological Behavior for Polymer Flooding.

Application of polymer-flooding systems in secondary and tertiary oil recovery represents a real challenge for oil industry. In this work, our main objective is to explore possibilities of making use of xanthan-g-polyacrylamide for polymer flooding in a particular Devonian oilfield of medium salinity. The graft polymer was synthesized by using microwave-assisted graft copolymerization reaction of acrylamide on xanthan. The synthesized copolymer with optimized grafting parameters has been characterized by Infrared Spectroscopy and Thermal Analysis (DSC). Rheological analysis by steady shear and oscillatory flow experiments have been subsequently performed for xanthan and grafted xanthan under reservoir conditions. In steady shear, as expected the grafted polymer solutions flow as shear-thinning materials and apparent viscosity showed good fits with Cross’s model. The viscosity losses due to salinity or temperature are more controlled for the grafted xanthan compared to pristine xanthan. When the grafted polymer concentration is increased to 2000 ppm the losses were halved. In oscillatory shear, the copolymer solutions followed a global behavior of semi-dilute entangled systems; furthermore, all dynamic properties were influenced by the brine salinity. Compared to xanthan, the elastic properties of xanthan-g-polyacrylamide solutions have been significantly improved in saline media and the losses in elasticity of grafted polymer solutions are lower.

Dual thermoresponsive mPEG-b-poly(O-benzyl-l-threonine acid) hydrogel based on β-sheet nano-structural disassembly and PEG dehydration

It is a challenging work to design novel responsive materials by controlling the secondary structure of polypeptide, especially β-sheet. We designed and synthesized a novel dual responsive diblock copolymer of methyl poly (ethylene glycol)-b-poly (O-benzyl-l-threonine) (mPEG-b-PBnLT). The copolymer solutions exhibited unusual and reversible gel-to-sol-to-gel transition behavior with temperature, and the transition temperature window could be easily adjusted by changing copolymer concentration or PBnLT block length. It was confirmed that low temperature gel-to-sol transition was due to the disassembly of the preliminary β-sheet layered nano-assemblies that induced the transformation of self-organized morphology from nanosized fibrils to spherical aggregates, while the high temperature sol-to-gel transition was ascribed to the dehydration of PEG segments. The disassembly of β-sheet structures was caused by the change in the polarity of the pendant benzyl ether bond of PBnLT block in water with temperature. This stimuli-responsiveness of secondary self-assembled nanostructures and the corresponding change in macroscopic phase transition inspires a brand-new strategy for structural design and functional control of polypeptide materials.

PH responsive switchable protein adsorption properties of poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline)/ poly(4-vinyl pyridine) based coatings: Influence of poly(4-vinyl pyridine) chain length and ionic strength

Protein adsorption at interfaces is a key for many applications especially in the biomedical field, biotechnologies, biocatalysis, food industry, etc. The development of surface layers that allow to control and manipulate protein adsorption is thus highly desired. To achieve this desired goal, we designed a smart thin stimuli responsive coating based on poly[(2-methyl-2-oxazoline)-random-glycidyl methacrylate)] (PMOXA-r-GMA) comb copolymer and poly(4-vinyl pyridine)-block-poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (P4VP-b-PGMA) block copolymer and scrutinized its ability to control protein adsorption properties by unraveling the effect of ionic strength (I) along with the pH of the surrounding medium and variation of chain length of P4VP. Firstly, PMOXA/P4VP based coatings were prepared by spin coating the mixture of PMOXA-r-GMA and P4VP-b-PGMA copolymer solutions onto silicon substrates followed by annealing at 110 °C. The surface composition and morphology of the PMOXA/P4VP based coatings were evaluated through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The switchable ability of the coating with the variation of chain length of P4VP upon pH and ionic strength trigger was characterized by water contact angle (WCA) and variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE). The experimental observations illustrated that the change in the water contact angle (ΔWCA) and thickness (Δh) were found to be maximum when the chain length of P4VP was almost three times that of PMOXA while turning the environmental condition from pH 3, with low ionic strength (I = 10−3 M) to pH 9 with high ionic strength (I = 10-1 M). Finally, the adsorption and desorption behavior of mixed polymer coating against bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively using the fluorescein isothiocyanate-labelled BSA (FITC-BSA) assay and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D), respectively. The low ionic strength (I = 10-3 M) at pH 3, caused to increase the adsorption of BSA and this increment was enhanced by increasing the chain length of P4VP in PMOX/P4VP based coatings. Subsequently, the adsorbed protein was then efficiently desorbed by changing the conditions to pH 9, I = 10-1 M, as well as the maximum desorption percentage (> 92 %) could be obtained at these optimized conditions in PMOXA/P4VP based polymer coatings.

Hybrid Polymeric Nanostructures Stabilized by Zirconium and Gadolinium Ions for Use as Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agents

Nanostructures called hybrid polyion complexes (HPICs) are formed by adding metal ions to a solution of a double-hydrophilic block copolymer, leading to the spontaneous formation of highly monodisp...

Intrachain and Interchain Exciton–Exciton Annihilation in Donor–Acceptor Copolymers

PM6 is a donor-acceptor copolymer widely used in high-efficiency organic solar cells (OSC). Here, we report the observation of exciton-exciton annihilation (EEA) in both PM6 copolymer solution and film. We find that the EEA mechanisms are distinct in these two systems. In the PM6 solution, EEA occurs via the long-range dipole-dipole interaction between intrachain excitons, while in the PM6 film it takes place between the interchain polaron pairs (spatially indirect excitons) via the short-range Coulomb interaction. The quantum yield of free polaron formation in the film is also quantified, which indicates that EEA leads to extra interchain polaron-pair dissociation, accounting for the enhanced free polaron formation.

Micelle Purification in Continuous Flow via Inline Dialysis

Micelle dispersions purification is made available via inline flow dialysis in which micelles are separated from the organic solvent used to dissolve the block copolymers in the micelle formation step. Purification was performed using simple and cost-effective dialysis units employing cellulose membranes. The proposed setup allows us to remove THF from a micelle dispersion within a few hours almost entirely in a looped flow system, without significantly changing the micelle size. Purification is found to be independent of the exact flow rates and only on the circulation time through the dialysis units. The system is not only able to reduce the concentration of the organic solvent, but also water-soluble monomers can be removed. Further, the integration of the method into a full synthesis line to produce encapsulated micelles directly from block copolymer solutions is demonstrated with a throughput of 1.2 g of micelles per hour.

Implicit Side-Chain Model and Experimental Characterization of Bottlebrush Block Copolymer Solution Assembly

Bottlebrush polymers are a class of macromolecules with linear backbones and densely grafted side chains, possessing unique physical properties due to strong steric interactions between the side ch...

Thermodynamically consistent algorithms for models of incompressible multiphase polymer solutions with a variable mobility

We present a general strategy for developing structure and property preserving numerical algorithms for thermodynamically consistent models of incompressible multiphase polymer solutions with a variable mobility. We first present a formalism to derive thermodynamically consistent, incompressible, multiphase polymer models. Then, we develop the general strategy, known as the supplementary variable method, to devise thermodynamically consistent numerical approximations to the models. We illustrate the numerical strategy using newly developed models of incompressible diblock copolymer solutions coupled with an electric and a magnetic field, respectively. Mesh refinement is conducted to verify convergence rates of the developed schemes. Some numerical examples are given to exhibit underlying dynamics absent from and driven by the external fields, respectively, highlighting differences between models with the variable and constant mobilities.

Synthesis of an Eco-friendly Bamboo Cellulose-grafted-ployacrylamide Flocculant and Its Flocculation Performance on Papermaking Wastewater

Flocculation is the first and important step to remove suspended and slightly soluble pollutants in industrial wastewater treatment. Flocculant is just the key element for flocculation process. Polyacrylamide (PAM) is the most widely used flocculant. But it still holds some potential flaws which are ignored by people. An eco-friendly bamboo cellulose-grafted-ployacrylamide flocculant (BC-g-PAM) was then synthesized by free-radical graft copolymerization in homogeneous aqueous solution. The optimal synthesis conditions of the BC-g-PAM was investigated. FTIR, TG, XRD and FESEM were employed to characterize and define its molecular structure and physical characteristics. The BC-g-PAM was also adopted to treat an actual papermaking wastewater. The positive results showed that the BC-g-PAM exhibited an excellent flocculation performance on the papermaking wastewater. The average turbidity removal rate reached 99.7 % and related suspended solids exhibited the corresponding decline. This flocculation also caused a positive effect on the reduction of CODCr and BOD5 of the wastewater. Meanwhile, the BC-g-PAM exhibited an excellent biodegradability. Its degradation rate reached 63.4 % at 90 d in soil extracting solution.

An Intelligent Transdermal Formulation of ALA‐Loaded Copolymer Thermogel with Spontaneous Asymmetry by Using Temperature‐Induced Sol–Gel Transition and Gel–Sol (Suspension) Transition on Different Sides

AbstractAqueous solutions of some amphiphilic block copolymers undergo a sol–gel transition upon heating and are thus called thermogels. In the thermogel family, some systems also exhibit a gel–sol (suspension) transition at higher temperatures following the sol–gel transition, which is usually ignored in biomedical applications. Herein, for the first time, a case is reported employing both the sol–gel transition and the gel–sol (suspension) transition, which is found in the development of a transdermal hydrogel formulation containing 5‐aminolevulinic acid for photodynamic therapy (PDT) of skin disease. Two poly(d,l‐lactide‐co‐glycolide)‐b‐poly(ethylene glycol)‐b‐poly(d,l‐lactide‐co‐glycolide) triblock copolymers of different block lengths are synthesized. The transition temperatures of the formulation can be easily adjusted to meet the condition of sol–gel transition temperature (Tgel) < room temperature (Tair) < gel–sol (suspension) temperature (Tsol (suspension)) < body temperature (Tbody) via changing the blending ratio. Therefore, after applying to skin, formulation of spontaneous asymmetry with a hydrogel outside and a sol (suspension) inside can avoid free flowing and achieve rapid release to ensure an efficient PDT. This study demonstrates such a concept via characterizations of the “block blend” biomaterials and drug release profiles, and also via cell experiments, in vitro permeation, and in vivo transdermal delivery studies.

Thermoresponsive and Injectable Composite Hydrogels of Cellulose Nanocrystals and Pluronic F127.

Thermoresponsive amphiphilic Pluronic F127 triblock copolymer solutions have been widely investigated in smart biomaterial applications due to the proximity of its critical gel temperature to human body temperature. Meanwhile, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) have quickly become the focus of many drug delivery and tissue engineering applications due to their biocompatibility, abundance, ability to conjugate with drug molecules, and superior rheological properties. Herein, we investigate the phase behavior and thermo-rheological properties of the composite hydrogels containing cellulose nanocrystals (up to 5% by weight) and the temperature responsive Pluronic F127. Our results revealed an unprecedented role of CNC network formation on micellization and gelation behavior of the triblock copolymer. Linear and nonlinear rheological analysis suggest that at low and moderate nanocrystal loadings (1-3% by weight), the composite gel remarkably becomes softer and deformable compared to the neat Pluronic F127 gels. The softening effect results from the disruption of the close packed micelles by the rodlike CNCs. At high concentrations, however, the nanocrystals form their own network and the micelles are trapped within the CNC meshes. As a result, the original (neat F127) hard-gel modulus is recovered at 4 to 5% nanocrystal loading, yet the composite gel is much more deformable (and tougher) in the presence of the CNC network. Our temperature sweep experiments show that the CNC addition up to 3% does not change the rapid thermal gelation of the F127 solutions; therefore, these composites are suitable for smart drug delivery systems. On the other hand, at higher CNC concentrations, abrupt viscosity transition is not observed, rather the composite gels smoothly thicken with temperature in contrast to thermal thinning of the aqueous neat CNC. Thus, they can be used as smartly adaptive biolubricants and bioviscostatic materials.

H3PO4‐induced micellization of styrene‐ethylene oxide block copolymers in toluene solutions

AbstractIn toluene/dimethoxyethane (80/20)v solution, copolymers containing 11, 33, and 51 mol% of oxyethylene residues and having a fixed PS‐segment molecular weight of ~60,000 g/mol, are dissolved molecularly. Doping with 10, 20, and 50 mol% of H3PO4 based on the oxyethylene content, induces varying degrees, of micellization in the respective block copolymer solutions. Light scattering and viscometry were used to evaluate the relationship between block‐copolymer composition and the state of aggregation for solutions of styrene/ethylene oxide block copolymers as a function of solution concentration and level of doping with phosphoric acid. Specifically, diffusion coefficients, hydrodynamic radii, and critical micelle concentration were evaluated by dynamic light scattering. Radii of gyration were obtained by complementary static light scattering measurements. In all three block copolymers, complete micellization is realized at the 50 mol% H3PO4 doping level. At the 20 mol% H3PO4 doping level, complete micellization is induced with the copolymers containing 11 and 33 mol% of oxyethylene residues.

Fabrication and characterization of thermoresponsive composite carriers: PNIPAAm-grafted glass spheres

Abstract Processing capacity and product yield of three-dimensional (3D) smart responsive carriers are markedly superior to those of two-dimensional substrates with the same compositions due to the special structure; therefore, more attempts have been made to develop the 3D intelligent systems in recent decades. A novel preparation strategy of thermoresponsive glass sphere-based composite carriers was reported in this study. First, PNIPAAm copolymers were synthesized by free-radical polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm), hydroxypropyl methacrylate (HPM), and 3-trimethoxysilypropyl methacrylate (TMSPM). Then, the copolymer solution was sprayed on the surfaces of glass spheres using a self-made bottom-spray fluidized bed reactor, and the bonding between copolymers and glass spheres was fabricated by thermal annealing to form PNIPAAm copolymer/glass sphere composite carriers. The coating effects of PNIPAAm copolymers on sphere surfaces were investigated, including characteristic functional groups, surface microstructure, grafting density, equilibrium swelling, as well as biocompatibility and potential application for cell culture. The results show that the temperature-responsive PNIPAAm copolymers can be linked to the surfaces of glass spheres by bottom-spray coating technology, and the copolymer layers can be formed on the sphere surfaces. The composite carriers have excellent thermosensitivity and favorable biocompatibility, and they are available for effective cell adhesion and spontaneous cell detachment by the use of smart responsiveness.

Synthesis of Di-Block Copolymers Poly (propylene ox-ide)-block-Poly (9-(2,3-epoxypropyl) Carbazole) via Sequential Addition of Monomers in One Pot.

Polypropylene oxide (PPO) and poly(9-(2,3-epoxypropyl) carbazole) (PEPK) di-block copolymers are prepared in one pot via sequential monomer addition by using i-PrONa/i-Bu3Al as an anionic catalytic system. An almost 100% monomer conversion is obtained, and the length of each block is controlled through the monomer/catalyst ratio used. Copolymer molecular weights are quite close to theoretical values calculated assuming the formation of one polymer chain per catalyst; therefore, it is hypothesized that the polymerization reaction proceeds with a living character. The synthesis appears to be particularly efficient and versatile. The calorimetric properties of copolymers obtained in this work are remarkable, since they show two distinct Tg values, corresponding to the PPO and PEPK blocks. The optical measurements of di-block copolymers show more analogous features than those of PEPK homopolymer. Copolymer solution emission spectra just exhibit isolated carbazole fluorescence, whereas in the solid state, film spectra show excimer fluorescence.

Thermo- and CO2-triggered viscosifying of aqueous copolymer solutions for gas channeling control during water-alternating-CO2 flooding

Water-alternating-CO2 gas (WAG) flooding is a common technique to enhance oil recovery via improving CO2 sweep efficiency, but serious gas channeling may still occur, especially in reservoirs with strong heterogeneity, due to a poor blocking capacity of aqueous slugs to the “channeling” pathway induced by their low viscosity. Herein, a copolymer whose aqueous solution viscosity can be increased by both heat and CO2 was developed and added into the aqueous slug to control gas channeling and increase oil recovery during enhanced WAG processes. The copolymer was synthesized by grafting poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) onto the triblock copolymer, Pluronic F127, PEO100-PPO65-PEO100. The aqueous copolymer solutions can be thickened/gelled by heating due to the formation of micelles as the physical cross-link and their entanglements even at a concentration as low as 0.2 wt%, and viscosified by bubbling CO2 thanks to expanded copolymer coils caused by electrostatic repulsion-induced chain extension of protonated PDMAEMA chains. Notably, thermo- and CO2-triggered viscosifying can work synergistically and they are completely reversible upon cyclically heating/cooling the copolymer solutions and bubbling/removing CO2 into/from the aqueous phase, respectively. In WAG flooding tests using two parallel cores, gas channeling was mitigated by blocking high-permeability cores due to in-situ thermo-induced gelation and CO2-triggered thickening of copolymer slugs, thus diverting chase fluids into unswept low-permeability cores and enhancing 21–22% total oil recovery than the conventional and HAPM-enhanced WAG modes. Importantly, owing to the characteristics of low initial viscosity, single component, and thermo-gelation, this dually-responsive copolymer possesses high injectivity and satisfactory gelation control. This work could enlighten the design of novel dual/multiple stimuli-thickening polymers used for channeling control and enhanced oil recovery.