Dresden 2011 – scientific programme

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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 34: Poster: Elastomers and Gels

CPP 34.10: Poster

Wednesday, March 16, 2011, 17:00–19:00, P2

Preparation and characterization of pNIPAM/Au composite particles — •Adrian Carl and Regine von Klitzing — Stranski-Laboratorium, Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Berlin

Microgels made of pNIPAM present a well known and characterized thermoresponsive material which is swollen by water. Gold nanorods are interesting because their optical properties are a function of shape and environmental parameters. It is appealing to combine both materials, each possessing remarkable properties, to investigate the structure and response of those composites, namely gold nanoparticle decorated polymer gels. In order to do so, two different microgel batches were prepared, using a weak acid or base as comonomer. Two comonomers were used in order to study the influence of net charge of the microgel particle on the morphology of the synthesized systems. Gold nanoparticles of ellipsoidal and rod shape were synthesized within the microgels. The inorganic nanoparticles were prepared in different sizes and shapes. In the scope of our studies the influence of synthetic conditions on the morphological features of the obtained gold nanoparticles and the structure of the microgel composites was investigated. The composite microgels were characterized by DLS, TEM, SAXS and UV-VIS spectroscopy. TEM measurements were supposed to give insight into the distribution of gold nanoparticles within the microgel particle which was a central question of these investigations. A model is proposed that gives qualitative information on the composites inner morphology.