| Abstract: | Nanocomposite hydrogels (NC gels) have been prepared based on poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) containing 0.25-15 wt% of the expandable synthetic hectorite Laponite XLS (Clay-S) by reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The swelling behaviors were investigated and the hydrogels by RAFT polymerization (RAFT gels) showed accelerated shrinking kinetics and higher swelling ratio comparing with conventional hydrogels (CGel). This could be attributed to the presence of dangling chains mainly caused by chain transfer reagent (CTA), which could retard the crosslinking reaction rate greatly. Furthermore, the NC gels have stronger mechanical strength than CGel. The presence of Clay-S does not affect the value of the lower critical solution temperature (LCST). |
