Mezey P., Domján A., Iván B., Thomann R., Mülhaupt R.
Chemical Research Center of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, HU
Keywords: amphiphilic polymer, hydrogel, nanoparticle
Poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide)-l-polyisobutylene (PDMAAm-l-PIB) amphiphilic conetworks were synthesized from two incompatible polymers, i.e. hydrophilic PDMAAm and strongly hydrophobic PIB in a wide range of composition (38-80 m/m % PIB). DSC and SAXS measurement results show that a short range order can be observed in these amphiphilic conetworks, and the size of the separate phases are in the 8-15 nm interval depending on the composition. As a conclusion, these materials possess a unique nanophase separated morphology. Furthermore, it can be seen from the AFM images that the nanophases of the conetworks have composition dependent spatial arrangement, where the size of the phases are in the nanometer range in all cases. The separate nanophases can be utilized as nanoreactors in several chemical reactions. Swelling the hydrophilic phase with aqueous silver nitrate solution and a subsequent reduction with N,N-dimethylformamide resulted in silver nanoparticles in the PDMAAm-l-PIB amphiphilic conetworks. This novel organic-inorganic nanohybrid material can be utilized in a variety of applications.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 2, Technical Proceedings of the 2007 NSTI Nanotechnology Conference and Trade Show, Volume 2
Published: May 20, 2007
Pages: 132 - 135
Industry sectors: Advanced Materials & Manufacturing | Personal & Home Care, Food & Agriculture
Topics: Advanced Materials for Engineering Applications, Personal & Home Care, Food & Agriculture
ISBN: 1-4200-6183-6