Thermoresponsive sodium alginate‐g‐poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) copolymers III. Solution properties |
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| Authors: | Catalina Natalia Cheaburu Oana‐Nicoleta Ciocoiu Georgios Staikos Cornelia Vasile |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Romanian Academy, “Petru.Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Physical Chemistry of Polymers Laboratory, 700487 Iasi, Romania;2. Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras, GR‐26500 Patras, Greece, and Institute of Chemical Engineering and High Temperature Processes, ICE/HT‐FORTH, GR‐26500 Patras, Greece |
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| Abstract: | Stimuli‐responsive biocompatible and biodegradable materials can be obtained by combining polysaccharides with polymers exhibiting lower critical solution temperature (LCST) phase behavior, such as poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm). The behavior of aqueous solutions of sodium alginate (NaAl) grafted with PNIPAAm (NaAl‐g‐PNIPAAm) copolymers as a function of composition and temperature is presented. The products obtained exhibit a remarkable thermothickening behavior in aqueous solutions if the degree of grafting, the concentration, and the temperature are higher than some critical values. The sol–gel‐phase transition temperatures have been determined. It was found that at temperatures below LCST the systems behave like a solution, whereas at temperatures above LCST, the solutions behave like a stiff gel, because of PNIPAAm segregation. This behavior is reversible and could find applications in tissue engineering and drug delivery systems. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013 |
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| Keywords: | thermothickening sodium alginate poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) graft copolymers |
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