Efficient formation of multicompartment hydrogels by stepwise self-assembly of thermoresponsive ABC triblock terpolymers.
The gelation behavior of a poly(ethylene-alt-propylene)-b-poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PON) triblock terpolymer and a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-b-poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (NON) triblock copolymer was studied by rheology over the concentration range 1-5 wt %. In comparison to the NON copolymer, gelation of the PON terpolymer was achieved at a much lower concentration, with a much sharper sol-gel transition. This is due to a stepwise gelation of PON terpolymers involving micellization at room temperature and gelation at elevated temperatures. The separation of micellization and gelation leads to the formation of a two-compartment network as observed by cryoTEM. The results highlight the intricate and tunable nanostructures and new properties accessible from ABC terpolymer hydrogels.
Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0431, USA.
Can
C
Zhou
Marc A
MA
Hillmyer
Timothy P
TP
Lodge
D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry*; D008823:Micelles; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015394:Molecular Structure; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D013696:Temperature
D020100:Hydrogels; D008823:Micelles; D011108:Polymers