Environmentally Sensitive Hydrogels: N-isopropyl acrylamide/Acrylamide/Mono-, Di-, Tricarboxylic Acid Crosslinked Polymers

Abstract

Environmentally sensitive hydrogels responsive to various stimuli such as temperature, pH, ionic strength of the medium and the solvent were prepared by using N-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAM), acrylamide (AAm) and monomers that have various number of carboxylic acid (XA) functionality using N,N-methylene bisacrylamide (Bis) as crosslinker. Hydrogels were prepared via free radical polymerization reaction in aqueous solution. P(NIPAAm-co-AAm) and p(NIPAAm-co-AAm)/XA hydrogels that contain monoprotic crotonic acid (CA) exhibit a lover critical solution temperature (LCST) at 28 degrees C, whereas p(NIPAAm-co-AAm)/IA (IA:itaconic acid), and P(NIPAAm-co-AAm)/ACA (ACA:acotonic acid) hydrogels exhibit a lover critical solution temperature at 30.7 degrees C and 34.4 degrees C, respectively. Spectroscopic and thermal analyses were performed for the structural and thermal characterizations of the prepared hydrogel. The swelling experiments as equilibrium swelling percentages by gravimetrically were carried out in different solvents, at different solutions temperature, pH, and ionic strengths to determine their effects on swelling characteristic of hydrogels. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:843-851, 2015. (c) 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers