Journal article

Publication year: 2003

Pages: 5626-5627

Journal: Journal of the American Chemical Society

Volume number: 125

Issue number: 19

ISSN: 0002-7863

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1021/ja0342648

Publisher: American Chemical Society

Abstract: 
Thermoresponsive nanocomposite thin films composed of alternating layers of silica and polymerized N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) or NIPAM plus dodecyl methacrylate (DM) hydrogels were prepared by surfactant-directed evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA). During EISA, the organic monomers partition within the hydrophobic domains of a lamellar mesophase. In-situ polymerization via a free radical process results in a 1-2 nm thick hydrogel phase sandwiched between layers of silica oriented parallel to the substrate surface. The thermoresponsiveness of PNIPAM is preserved in this confined environment, and the polymeric layers reversibly swell and deswell by a factor of 2 in water upon temperature changes around the transition temperature of PNIPAM (32 degrees C). The composition, mesostructure, and environmental response were studied by detailed NMR, TGA, and SAXS analyses.

Harvard Citation style: Garnweitner, G., Smarsly, B., Assink, R., Ruland, W., Bond, E. and Brinker, C. (2003) Self-assembly of an environmentally responsive polymer/silica nanocomposite, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 125(19), pp. 5626-5627. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja0342648

APA Citation style: Garnweitner, G., Smarsly, B., Assink, R., Ruland, W., Bond, E., & Brinker, C. (2003). Self-assembly of an environmentally responsive polymer/silica nanocomposite. Journal of the American Chemical Society. 125(19), 5626-5627. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja0342648