Synthesis and Characterization of Temperature-Sensitive Poly(N-isopropylacryamide) Hydrogel with Comonomer and Semi-IPN material

Abstract

A series of temperature and pH sensitive hydrogels were synthesized using N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) as main monomer, sodium alginate (SA) as semi-IPN material, ethyl acrylate (EA) and acrylic acid (AA) as comonomer, and N-maleyl chitosan (N-MACH) as cross-linker. The temperature and pH sensitive behavior, swelling/deswelling kinetics of the hydrogels were investigated. And the mechanism of the phase transition was summed up. Sodium alginate/Poly(N-isopropylacryamide) semi-interpenetrating polymer network (SA/PNIPAAm semi-IPN) hydrogels exhibited a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) at about 32 °C with no significant deviation from the conventional PNIPAAm hydrogels. Poly(N-isopropylacryamide-co-ethyl acrylate) (P(NIPAAm-co-EA)) hydrogels exhibited LCST at 29–31°C, increasing the amount of EA in the hydrogel gradually decreased the LCST. Poly(N-isopropylacryamide-co-acrylic acid) [P(NIPAAm-co-AA)] hydrogels exhibited LCST at 34–39°C, with decreasing NIPAAm/AA from 96/4 to 92/8 and 90/10, the LCST increased from 34°C to 37°C and 39°C. In the swelling/deswelling kinetics, all the dried hydrogels exhibited fast swelling/deswelling behavior, which might be attributed to macroporous structures of the hydrogels.

Keywords:

• Acrylic acid
• Ethyl acrylate
• Hydrogel
• NIPAAm
• Sodium alginate

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 20876081); and the Science Foundation of Shandong Province (Y2006B10); Qingdao Science and Technology Program for basic research projects (09-1-3-33-JCH).