Effects of Polymer Concentration on Structure and Properties of Zwitterionic Nanocomposite Gels. Issue 3 (27th December 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ning, Jinyan; Li, Guang; Haraguchi, Kazutoshi
• Is Part Of: Macromolecular chemistry and physics. Volume 215:Issue 3(2014:Feb.)
• Page Start: 235
• Page End: 244
• Publication Date: 2013-12-27
• Subjects: Polymers -- Periodicals; Polymerization -- Periodicals; Synthetic products -- Periodicals; Macromolecules -- Periodicals; 547.7
• DOI: 10.1002/macp.201300637
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1022-1352

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" xml:lang="en"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p>Zwitterionic nanocomposite gels (Zw‐NC gels) composed of a zwitterionic sulfobetaine copolymer and inorganic clay (hectorite) are synthesized through the in situ free‐radical copolymerization of <italic>N, N</italic>‐dimethyl(acrylamidopropyl)ammonium propanesulfonate (90 mol%) and <italic>N, N</italic>‐dimethylacrylamide (10 mol%) with exfoliated clay platelets in an aqueous medium. The effects of polymer concentration (<italic>C</italic><sub>p</sub>) on the dynamic viscoelasticity, tensile mechanical properties, transparency, and the thermosensitivity with the upper critical solution temperature (UCST) of the Zw‐NC gels are investigated in the range <italic>C</italic><sub>p</sub> = 26–260 g L<sup>−1</sup> and are compared with those of chemically cross‐linked zwitterionic gels. All the mechanical and thermosensitive properties strongly change depending on the type of network and <italic>C</italic><sub>p</sub>. The <italic>C</italic><sub>p</sub>‐induced changes in the polymer‐clay structure of the Zw‐NC gel are discussed based on the mechanical, optical, and thermosensitive properties, and on transmission electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction measurements. <boxed-text content-type="graphic" position="anchor" orientation="portrait"><graphic position="anchor" mimetype="image" xlink:href="ark:/27927/pgg41nst4g9" orientation="portrait" xlink:type="simple" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" /></boxed-text></p> </abstract>