Search results for "Gels"

Nanotube Friendly Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide).

2010

Poly(N-ispropylacrylamide) [PNIPAM] is a widely studied polymer for use in biological applications due to its lower critical solution temperature (LCST) being so close to the human body temperature. Unfortunately, attempts to combine carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with PNIPAM have been unsuccessful due to poor interactions between these two materials. In this work, a PNIPAM copolymer with 1 mol-% pyrene side group [p-PNIPAM] was used to produce a thermoresponsive polymer capable of stabilizing both single and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) in water. The presence of pyrene in the polymer chain lowers the LCST less than 4 °C and the interaction with nanotubes does not show any influence on LC…

High-energy radiation processing, a smart approach to obtain PVP-graft-AA nanogels

2014

Abstract Poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone)-grafted-acrylic acid biocompatible nanogels (NGs) were prepared using an exiting industrial-type electron accelerator and setups, starting from semi-dilute aqueous solutions of a commercial PVP and the acrylic acid monomer. As a result, NGs with tunable size and structure can be obtained quantitatively. Sterility was also imparted at the integrated dose absorbed. The chemical structure of the NGs produced was confirmed through Fourier Transformer Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The molecular and physico-chemical properties of NGs, such as the hydrodynamic dimensions and surface charge densities, for various polymer and monomer concentrations in the irradiate…

Synthesis, characterisation and properties of α,β-poly(N-2-hydroxyethyl)-dl-aspartamide-graft-maleic anhydride precursors and their stimuli-responsiv…

2009

Abstract A family of poly(amino acid)-maleic anhydride hydrogels were designed and synthesized. Water soluble polymeric precursors were prepared by partially substituting the hydroxyl groups of the α,β-poly( N -2-hydroxyethyl)- dl -aspartamide backbone with maleic anhydride, so as to provide double bonds for crosslinking and carboxylic acid groups for pH and electric field responsiveness. Reaction conditions (reactive mixture composition and catalysis) were systematically varied in order to obtain PHEA–MA precursors with different and reliable graft-maleic anhydride levels. PHEA–MA precursors were characterised by titration, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ( 1 H NMR), Fourier-Transformed Infrare…

Synthesis and characterization of water-swellable?,?-polyasparthydrazide derivatives

1995

α, β-polyasparthydrazide (PAHy) was crosslinked by glutaraldehyde to form water-swellable materials possessing a three-dimensional molecular network. Different crosslinking degrees were prepared varying glutaraldehyde/PAHy ratio and samples containing 5-fluorouracil were obtained by incorporating the drug into the polymer networks during the crosslinking reaction. All samples were characterized by swelling tests, thermal, x-ray and SEM analysis. Their microstructure was observed through scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, for samples containing the anticancer drug,in vitro release studies were performed in pH 7.4 buffer solution.

Increased Stability of Polysaccharide/Silica Hybrid Sub‐Millicarriers for Retarded Release of Hydrophilic Substances

2021

pH-sensitive hydrogel based on a novel photocross-linkable copolymer.

2004

A pH sensitive hydrogel has been prepared by a UV irradiation technique. Starting polymer was the PHM (poly hydroxyethylaspartamide methacrylated) obtained from polyaspartamide (PHEA) partially derivatized with methacrylic anhydride (MA). This new copolymer has been further derivatized with succinic anhydride (SA) to obtain PHM-SA that has been cross-linked by UV irradiation to form a pH sensitive hydrogel. The network, recovered after washing as a powder, has been been characterized by FT-IR spectrophotometry and particle size distribution analysis. Moreover, to have information about water affinity of the prepared sample, swelling measurements have been carried out in aqueous media mimick…

Aqueous Laponite Clay Dispersions in the Presence of Poly(ethylene oxide) or Poly(propylene oxide) Oligomers and their Triblock Copolymers

2008

The effect of polyethylene oxide (PEO) or polypropylene oxide (PPO) oligomers of various molecular weight (Mw) as well as of triblock copolymers, based on PEO and PPO blocks, on aqueous laponite RD suspensions was studied with small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). The radius of gyration (RG) increases for low Mw whereas the opposite occurs for larger Mw. This behavior is explained on the-basis that an effective RG is given by two contributions: (1) the size of the particles coated with the polymer and (2) the interactions between the laponite RD particles which are attractive for small and repulsive for large polymers. The SANS curves in the whole Q-range are well described by a model of n…

Environmentally sustainable production of cellulose-based superabsorbent hydrogels

2006

The development of new products and materials, especially those which are non-petrolchemical reserves and based on renewable organic resources, using innovative sustainable processes is nowadays of increasing interest and deserves the attention of both academic and industrial research. Cellulose and its derivatives, as renewable organic resources, have been used to synthesize novel superabsorbent hydrogels. Although the production of cellulose is one of the causes connected to deforestation, the production of suitably engineered cellulose superabsorbent hydrogel materials has been proposed to preserve water in typically arid areas in the world. Paradoxically, divinylsulfone (DVS), a small d…

Studies of network organization and dynamics of e-beam crosslinked PVPs: From macro to nano

2012

Abstract In this work the influence of poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) concentration in water on the organization and dynamics of the corresponding macro-/nanogel networks has been systematically investigated. Irradiation has been performed at the same irradiation dose (within the sterilization dose range) and dose rate. In the selected irradiation conditions, the transition between macroscopic gelation and micro-/nanogels formation is observed just below the critical overlap concentration (∼1 wt%), whereas the net prevalence of intra-molecular over inter-molecular crosslinking occurs at a lower polymer concentration (below 0.25 wt%). Dynamic–mechanical spectroscopy has been applied as a cl…

Bio-inspired surface modification of iron oxide nanoparticles for active stabilization in hydrogels

2020

Biological materials employ a variety of dynamic interactions in sophisticated composite structures to function adaptively on different time and length scales. Inspired by such designs we develop a novel surface modification approach to promote dynamic interactions between nanoparticles and polymer chains in physical and double network hydrogels. Physical hydrogels are formed via reversible complexation of borate ions with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and chemical crosslinks are introduced by electron beam irradiation. Dopamine is used for surface modification of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MNPs) in two different ways: the direct treatment results in anchoring via catechol groups, where…