Laterally sandwich-typed hydrogel columns with liner poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) layer: Preparation, swelling/deswelling kinetics and drug delivery characteristics

A novel thermo-responsive hydrogel column, featured with both ends of linear poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) chains being grafted onto cross-linked PNIPAM chains, was reported. The laterally sandwich-typed hydrogel columns were fabricated by radical polymerization in a three-step process using a method of ice-melting synthesis. The initiating path, morphology and thermoresponsive characteristics of the prepared hydrogel columns were experimentally studied. The results show that the hydrogel column obtained by the initiator inside part has more quick swelling and deswelling rates responsing to temperature cycling than other hydrogels owing to linear PNIPAM chains to form supermacroporous structure. The proposed hydrogel structure provide a new mode of the phase transition behavior for thermo-sensitive "smart" or "intelligent" monodisperse micro-actuators, which is highly attractive for targeting drug delivery systems, chemical separations, and sensors and so on.     

Effect of Potassium Methacrylate Content on Synthesis,Swelling, and Diffusion Characteristics of Acrylamide/Potassium Methacrylate Hydrogels

ABSTRACT

Hydrogels based on acrylamide (AAM) and potassium methacrylate (KMA) were synthesized by simultaneous free radical polymerization in aqueous solution using the redox initiator ammonium persulfate (APS) and N,N,N′N′-tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) at room temperature. Eight different compositions of KMA hydrogels were prepared at a fixed concentration of N,N′,-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) or diallyl phthalate (DP) as crosslinking agents. For all the AAM-KMA hydrogels, the percentage of swelling, swelling kinetics, and diffusion characteristics were investigated. It was found that higher swelling percentage values were obtained for hydrogels crosslinked with DP than for the conventional crosslinker MBA. The de-swelling characteristics of hydrogels were also studied in detail. The power law relationship of hydrogels was evaluated in saline solutions. Hydrogels formation was confirmed by IR spectroscopy. The thermal characteristics of these hydrogels were studied by using differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) and revealed that MBA crosslinked AAM-KMA hydrogels show higher glass transition temperature (Tg) as well as higher decomposition temperatures (Td) than DP crosslinked AAM-KMA hydrogels. It is further confirmed from the studies that the DP crosslinked hydrogels have good swelling as well as de-swelling and salinity characteristics.     

共聚物水凝胶在金属离子溶液中的消溶胀动力学

采用重量分析法对达到溶胀平衡的AA/AMPS、AA/DMAEMA和AMPS/DMAEMA共聚物水凝胶在金属离子溶液中体积收缩变化的动力学过程进行了研究,结果表明:共聚物水凝胶在4种金属离子(Ag~+、Cu~(2+)、Fe~(3+)、Pb~(2+))溶液中均发生体积收缩的响应变化,并且这种变化程度随着金属离子溶液浓度的增加而增加,由"指数衰减第一顺序"函数可以较好地拟合水凝胶体积收缩响应过程的实验数据;在相同的金属离子浓度下,AA/AMPS、AA/DMAEMA和AMPS/DMAEMA水凝胶的平衡体积收缩比(V_∞/V_0)和消溶胀速率常数K_d大小顺序总体一致,分别为Fe~(3+)Pb~(2+)Cu~(2+)Ag~+、Cu~(2+)Fe~(3+)Pb~(2+)Ag~+和Pb~(2+)Fe~(3+)Cu~(2+)Ag~+。通过"孤对电子-空轨道"理论从结构上解释了水凝胶在不同价态重金属溶液中的消溶胀机理;AA/AMPS-Fe~(3+)体系、AA/DMAEMA-Cu~(2+)体系和AMPS/DMAEMA-Pb~(2+)体系体积收缩过程的活化能E_(?)分别为3.081、1.86、1.917 kJ·mol~(-1)。