Abstract
Nanocomposite materials consisting of colloidal gold (Au) nanoparticles embedded in thermo-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) hydrogels are synthesized. Thiol groups that bind to both Au3+ ions and colloidal Au are incorporated into the side-chains of the PNIPAm hydrogels through copolymerization. This report describes formation of morphologically well-defined Au nanoparticles with varying long-term stability inside the hydrogel matrices containing adjustable concentrations of thiols. Compared with the non-Au containing PNIPAm hydrogels, the Au-PNIPAm nanocomposite hydrogels have shown higher degrees of equilibrium swelling and different temperature-triggered phase transitions. It is hypothesized that these remarkable changes in hydrogel bulk properties are related to the different morphologies and sizes, and possibly the amount of surface charges, of the Au nanoparticles.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | R2.2 |
| Pages (from-to) | 333-338 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings |
| Volume | 820 |
| State | Published - Dec 1 2004 |
| Event | Nanoengineered Assemblies and Advanced Micro/Nanosystems - San Francisco, CA, United States Duration: Apr 13 2004 → Apr 16 2004 |