Dresden 2011 – scientific programme
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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik
CPP 34: Poster: Elastomers and Gels
CPP 34.7: Poster
Wednesday, March 16, 2011, 17:00–19:00, P2
A comparison of the thermoresponsive switching behavior in thin films of cyclic and linear PNIPAM — •David Magerl1, Xing-Ping Qiu2, Françoise Winnik2, and Peter Müller-Buschbaum1 — 1TU München, Physik Department, LS Funkt. Mat., James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany — 2Université de Montréal, Faculty of Pharmacy and Department of Chemistry, CP 6128 Succursale Centre Ville Montréal QC H3C 3J7, Canada
Stimuli-responsive hydrogels are of increasing interest because of their use in a variety of applications such as drug-delivery and sensors. Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) is one of the most studied polymer in this context. There are very few studies of cyclic PNIPAM, although this topology is of great interest because of the absence of endgroups, which has a significant impact on the lower critical solution temperature (LCST), as reported in comparatives studies of cyclic and linear PNIPAM [1].
In this study, we compare the properties of spin-coated thin films of cyclic and linear PNIPAM samples with similar molecular weights and a low polydispersity. The film thickness was varied and the films were characterized with x-ray reflectivity and optical microscopy. The swelling behavior of films exposed to water vapor was investigated as a function of film thickness in order to assess the influence of chain topography on the thin film behavior.
[1] Yuichi Satokawa et al., Macromolecules, 42(4), 1400-1403, (2009).