Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-clay hydrogels: control of mechanical properties and structure by the initiating conditions of polymerization

0458840 - ÚMCH 2017 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Strachota, Beata - Hodan, Jiří - Matějka, Libor
Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-clay hydrogels: control of mechanical properties and structure by the initiating conditions of polymerization.
European Polymer Journal. Roč. 77, April (2016), s. 1-15. ISSN 0014-3057. E-ISSN 1873-1945
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP108/12/1459; GA MŠMT(CZ) LD14010
Grant - others:European Commission(XE) COST Action MP1202 HINT
Institutional support: RVO:61389013
Keywords : polymer-clay hydrogel * thermoresponsive hydrogel * nanocomposite
Subject RIV: CD - Macromolecular Chemistry
Impact factor: 3.531, year: 2016

The mechanical properties of the poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA)–clay gels are efficiently controlled by the initiating conditions of the polymerization. The concentration and composition of the redox initiating system, initiator ammonium peroxodisulfate (APS) and activator tetramethylethylenediamine (TEMED), are found to be crucial in the gel synthesis, governing not only the polymerization process, but also the gel structure and mechanical properties. For the description of mechanical properties of nanocomposite gels, the combination of the theory of elasticity with the model of mechanical properties of composites is applied, because the incorporated clay serves both as a crosslinker and as reinforcing nanofiller. Based on this approach, the complex mechanical behavior of the gels is described and the experimental data are explained, including the effect of clay, monomer and the initiators. The results contribute to the elucidation of the relationships between formation, structure and mechanical properties of the nanocomposite gels.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0259069