Polyampholyte hydrogels formed via electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions


Su E., Okay O.

EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL, cilt.88, ss.191-204, 2017 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 88
  • Basım Tarihi: 2017
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2017.01.029
  • Dergi Adı: EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.191-204
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Supramolecular hydrogels, Polyampholytes, Ionic interactions, Hydrophobic associations, Swelling, Mechanical properties, SELF-HEALING HYDROGELS, MULTIPLE PHASES, ELASTICITY, POINT, TOUGH, ACID)
  • İstanbul Üniversitesi Adresli: Hayır

Özet

We introduce here a novel strategy to produce supramolecular polyampholyte hydrogels exhibiting pH sensitivity and anti-polyelectrolyte effect. The hydrogels were synthesized by photopolymerization of N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA) with equimolar amounts of the ionic monomers acrylic acid (AAc) and 4-vinylpyridine (4VP) under solvent-free condition. Instead of a chemical cross-linker, stearyl methacrylate (C18) was included into the comonomer feed to create hydrophobic associations. Both the electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions produce intermolecular linkages between the polymer chains acting as physical cross-link zones that are stable in water. Polyampholyte hydrogels are in a swollen state at pH < 4 and pH > 6 while they undergo a swelling-to-collapse transition between these pH values by adopting a collapsed conformation over a certain range of pH including their isoelectric points. This swelling behavior is a result of the pH difference between the inside and outside of the hydrogel, as demonstrated by the theory of swelling equilibrium. Rheological measurements indicate the reversible nature of the cross-link zones with finite lifetimes. Polyampholyte hydrogels containing 80-92% water exhibit Young's moduli between 18 and 58 kPa and sustain tensile strains up to 560%, while those prepared using a chemical cross-linker are brittle in tension. Cyclic mechanical tests show a large mechanical hysteresis and the existence of reversibly and irreversibly broken bonds under large strain.(C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.