Thermo- and salt-responsive poly(NIPAm-co-AAc-Brij-58) microgels: adjustable size, stability under salt stimulus, and rapid protein adsorption/desorption

• Published in: Colloid and polymer science Vol. 294; no. 3; pp. 617 - 628
• Main Authors: Liu, Yalong, Xing, Lijuan, Zhang, Qingsong, Mu, Qifeng, Liu, Pengfei, Chen, Kun, Chen, Li, Zhang, Xiaoyong, Wang, Ke, Wei, Yen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.03.2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adjustable; Adsorption; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Complex Fluids and Microfluidics; Desorption; Food Science; Microgels; Nanotechnology and Microengineering; Original Contribution; Physical Chemistry; Polymer Sciences; Polymerization; Protein adsorption; Soft and Granular Matter; Stability; Transmittance; Microgel; Sensitivity; Stability; Adsorption; isopropylacrylamide
• ISSN: 0303-402X; 1435-1536
• DOI: 10.1007/s00396-015-3819-x

Based on N -isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm) and modified copolymer of liquid crystal surfactant polyoxyethylene 20 cetyl ether (AAc-Brij-58), a series of “smart” poly(NIPAm- co -AAc-Brij-58) (ACM) microgels with controllable particle size and adjustable salt stability have been successfully fabricated by aqueous precipitation polymerization. The stability under the stimulus of salt and protein adsorption/desorption behavior of ACM microgels were explored. It can be found that when the mass percentage of AAc-Brij-58/NIPAm is 1 wt.%, the ACM01 microgel film presents the lowest contact angel (ca. 35.9°) and the highest hydrodynamic diameters ( D H ) value (ca. 1100 nm) with the increase of volume phase transition temperature (VPTT). In terms of transmittance change versus different concentrations of NaCl solution and transmittance versus temperature under certain salt concentrations, the responsibility of ACM microgel under ionic strength is investigated sufficiently. The adsorption/desorption behavior of ACM microgels to Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) is also revealed. The results show that the maximum adsorption amount of AMC01 to BSA reaches 982.7 ± 26 mg/g at 25 °C, much higher than that of ACM0 (714.7 ± 36 mg/g) and ACM02 microgels (402 ± 20 mg/g). Graphical Abstract ᅟ