Composite structure of temperature sensitive chitosan microgel and anomalous behavior in alcohol solutions

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2007 Sep 1;313(1):117-21. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2007.04.022. Epub 2007 Apr 19.

Abstract

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)/chitosan (PNIPAM/CS) core-shell microgel was synthesized by graft copolymerization. The microstructure of copolymers was characterized by FT-IR spectrum and (1)H-nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR). Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements display that the microgel has high monodispersity and with a core-shell structure. For swelling the microgel in various alcohol solutions, the particles first shrink; then flocculation occurs resulted from weak aggregation of particles with the increase of alcohol concentration. The investigation of the size of microgels as a function of temperature shows that the thermo-sensitive property is markedly exhibited when the alcohol concentration is low, and vanishes when the alcohol concentration exceeds some value where the microgels have the lowest size.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alcohols / chemistry*
  • Chemistry, Organic / methods
  • Chitosan / chemistry*
  • Gels / chemistry*
  • Light
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
  • Models, Chemical
  • Scattering, Radiation
  • Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared / methods
  • Surface Properties
  • Surface-Active Agents / chemistry
  • Temperature

Substances

  • Alcohols
  • Gels
  • Surface-Active Agents
  • Chitosan