Issue 13, 2021

Controlling properties of thermogels by tuning critical solution behaviour of ternary copolymers

Abstract

Thermoresponsive hydrogel materials show promise as biomaterials as their properties can be widely tuned to fit engineering requirements for an array of important applications. Here we show that the properties of thermogelling tri-block copolymers consisting of a central poly(ethylene glycol) block and pendant N-substituted polyacrylamides can be tuned by altering the random terpolymer compositions. The heterogeneity of the pendant terpolymer blocks is reflected in the concentration dependence of their critical solution behavior. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the pendant blocks can be finely tuned, enabling controlled modulation of thermogel properties. Altering terpolymer composition to control LCST behaviour, therefore, provides a facile approach to design thermogel properties.

Graphical abstract: Controlling properties of thermogels by tuning critical solution behaviour of ternary copolymers

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
13 dek 2020
Accepted
03 fev 2021
First published
26 mar 2021
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Polym. Chem., 2021,12, 1918-1923

Controlling properties of thermogels by tuning critical solution behaviour of ternary copolymers

A. A. A. Smith, C. L. Maikawa, H. Lopez Hernandez and E. A. Appel, Polym. Chem., 2021, 12, 1918 DOI: 10.1039/D0PY01696A

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