Thermo-responsive Hercosett / Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) films: A new, fast, optically responsive coating
作者：J. Wang, A. Sutti, X. Wang, T. Lin
關鍵字：Hydrogel， Nanofibres，Electrosinning
論文來源：期刊
具體來源：Journal of Colloid and Interface
發表時間：2012年
Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) is a common thermo-responsive,
water-soluble polymer, while Hercosett is a cationic resin commonly
employed in the paper industry. In this paper, Hercosett? and
poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) nanoparticles were used to prepare
composite films that show thermo-responsive behavior and
swelling–shrinking properties in water. First, size-controlled PNIPAM
hydrogel nanoparticles were synthesized. These were then embedded within
a matrix of the cationic resin Kymene 577H by film casting. The
distribution of nanoparticles in the resin film was investigated. The
thermo-responsive properties of the as-synthesized PNIPAM hydrogel
nanoparticles and of the composite films were characterized together
with the repeatability of the swelling–shrinking cycles. The presence of
nanoparticles endowed the film with highly enhanced water retention (in
comparison with resin-only films) and, most importantly,
thermo-responsiveness. A very fast optical and morphological response
was in fact observed. Due to the dual (optical and morphological)
response, this new system is suitable for applications in optical or
morphological actuation and gating.