Dresden 2014 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help

CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 28: (Hydro) Gels and Elastomers

CPP 28.5: Talk

Wednesday, April 2, 2014, 10:45–11:00, ZEU 222

Poly(ethylene glycol) based microgel particles — •Kornelia Gawlitza, Stefan Wellert, and Regine von Klitzing — Stranski-Laboratorium, Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Berlin

Due to their reversible temperature induced volume phase transition (VPT), microgels made of poly-N-Isopropylacrylamide (p-NIPAM) served as model systems for basic research and have been intensively studied, e.g. their swelling behavior and internal structure.[1],[2] The polymer p-NIPAM show cytotoxicity above the VPT temperature (VPTT) when exposed to living cells longer than 3 hours.[3] This makes them inapplicable for long-time medical applications. The problem of cytotoxicity can be overcome by the synthesis of Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) based microgels which are both, non-cytotoxic and thermoresponsive. In this study the size, VPTT as well as the mesh size were controlled by the amount of comonomer (OEGMA), cross-linker (EGDMA) and sugar surfactant (Glucopon 220) during the synthesis.[4] The polymer particles in bulk and at surfaces were characterized by scattering and imaging techniques. The swelling behavior at surfaces in dependence from the coverage was investigated by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and ellipsometry. - [1] K. Kratz, A. Lapp, W. Eimer and T. Hellweg, Colloids and Surfaces A: Physiochemical and Engineering Aspects, 2002, 197, 55 [2] K. Gawlitza, S. Turner, F. Polzer, S. Wellert, M. Karg, P. Mulvaney and R. v. Klitzing, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2013, 15, 15623 [3] H. Vihola, A. Laukkanen, L. Valtola, H. Tenhu and J. Hirvonen, Biomaterials, 2005, 26, 3055 [4] J. Lutz, Journal of Polymer Science: Part A, 2008, 46, 3459