Mild synthesis of poly(HEMA)-networks as well-defined nanoparticles in supercritical carbon dioxide. Issue 29 (10th July 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Parilti, R.; Alaimo, D.; Grignard, B.; Boury, F.; Howdle, S. M.; Jérôme, C.
• Is Part Of: Journal of materials chemistry. Volume 5:Issue 29(2017)
• Page Start: 5806
• Page End: 5815
• Publication Date: 2017-07-10
• Subjects: Materials -- Periodicals; Chemistry, Analytic -- Periodicals; Biomedical materials -- Research -- Periodicals; 543.0284
• DOI: 10.1039/c7tb00740j
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2050-750X

Abstract

Abstract : Well-defined microparticles of cross-linked poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) have been successfully produced by dispersion polymerisation in supercritical carbon dioxide at body temperature, i.e. conditions compatible with thermosensitive molecules. Abstract : Free-radical dispersion polymerisation of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate was carried out in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2 ) in the presence of stabilisers based on polyethylene oxide (PEO) and poly(heptadecafluorodecyl acrylate) (PFDA). Different architectures of copolymers (random, palm-tree and diblock) were tested for their surface tension, cloud point and as a stabilising agent. The diblock architecture was found to be the best candidate resulting in poly(HEMA) spherical particles with a size of 316 nm. Furthermore, the effect of the CO2 -phobic block (PEO) in the diblock architecture was investigated by using three different chain lengths (1000, 2000, 5000 g mol −1 ). By optimizing the stabiliser composition and structure, mild reaction conditions have been identified allowing us to obtain well-defined spherical cross-linked poly(HEMA) particles with a mean diameter of unprecedented low size (216 nm) at a temperature as low as 35 °C.