Developing Nanostructured Polymer Gels for Chemical and Biological Defense

摘要

The objectives of this work are to create nanostructured polymer gels, to correlate such structures to their physical properties, and to use them for sensors and controlled drug release. Under ARO sponsorship, the most important results are summarized in seven areas: (i) Synthesized nanostructured polymer gels that display striking iridescence like precious opal. (ii) Developed a new route to make crystalline hydrogels in neutral pH and aqueous environment. They can be used as sensors that change their colors in response to external stimuli. (iii) Developed new carriers for controlled drug delivery. Biodegradable hydrogel nanoparticles based on FDA approved biopolymers have been synthesized. The biocompatibility of hydrogel nanoparticles has been tested. (iv) Studied conformation changes of long-chain branched polymers synthesized by ARL scientists. (v) Understanding of phase behavior of aqueous suspension of gel nanoparticles has been achieved using thermodynamic perturbation theory combined with light scattering measurements. (vi) Synthesized hydrogel nanoparticles with different functionalities. (vii) Improved performance of hydrogels by incorporating hydrogels with Na- montmorillonite layered silicates. The major accomplishments include 18 peer- reviewed publications, 19 presentations in various meetings, 2 granted patents and 3 pending patents. Five graduate students received their Ph.D., participating in this ARO sponsored research.