Autonomous oscillating microgels involving Fe(phen)₃ catalyst synchronized with the Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction

ABSTRACT

A novel kind of microgels’ poly(NIPAAm-co-Fe(phen)₃-co-CS) were prepared by copolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm), chitosan (CS), and iron(II) 5-acrylamide-1,10-phenanthroline-bis(1,10-phenanthroline) (denoted as Fe(phen)₃), the catalyst for the Belousov–Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction. The microgels were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, and static water contact angle. In addition, the self-oscillating behaviors of the microgels were investigated in BZ system free of catalyst. Both the redox potential and transmittance self-oscillation were observed. Moreover, the self-oscillating parameters, such as the induction period, oscillating period, duration, and amplitude decreased with the increasing of CS contents. This special property enables them to be used as biocompatible materials for a variety of applications.

KEYWORDS:

• BZ oscillating chemical reaction
• microgels
• swelling/deswelling self-oscillation

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported in part by the Basic Project of Science and Research of Colleges and Universities of Gansu Province [5001-109], the Project of Northwest Normal University [NWNU-LKQN-13-6].