Novel Synthesis and Properties of Smart Core-Shell Microgels

摘要

A new method has been developed to prepare smart microgels that consist of well-defined temperature-sensitive cores with pH-sensitive shells. The microgels were obtained directly from aqueous graft copolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide and N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide from water-soluble polymers containing amino groups such as poly(ethyleneimine) and chitosan. The gel diameters ranged from 300 to 400 nm with narrow size distribution. The unique core-shell nanostructures exhibited tuneable responses to pH and temperature.