Phase transition of aqueous solutions of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) and poly(N-isopropylmethacrylamide)

Preparation of Well-Defined Propargyl-Terminated Tetra-Arm Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)s and Their Click Hydrogels Crosslinked with β-cyclodextrin

As an important class of reversible deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP), reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization has attracted great attention attributed to its facile and flexible features to prepare well-defined polymers with different complex structures. In addition, the combination of RAFT with click chemistry provides more effective strategies to fabricate advanced functional materials. In this work, a series of temperature responsive tetra-arm telechelic poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)s (PNIPAs) with propargyl end groups were prepared for the first time through RAFT and subsequent aminolysis/Michael addition modification. The temperature sensitivities of their aqueous solutions were researched via turbidity measurement. It was found that the phase transition temperature of obtained PNIPAs increased with their molecular weights ascribed to their distinctions in the hydrophobic/hydrophilic balance. Subsequently, β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) functionalized with azide moieties was used to crosslink the prepared propargyl-terminated tetra-arm PNIPAs through click chemistry, fabricating corresponding hydrogels with thermoresponse. Similar to their precursors, the hydrogels demonstrated the same dependence of volume phase transition temperature (VPTT) on their molecular weights. In addition, the incorporation of β-CD and the residual groups besides crosslinking may provide a platform for imparting additional functions such as inclusion and adsorption as well as further functionalization.

The Importance of Excess Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) for the Aggregation of Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-Coated Gold Nanoparticles

Thermoresponsive materials are generating significant interest on account of the sharp and tunable temperature deswelling transition of the polymer chain. Such materials have shown promise in drug delivery devices, sensing systems, and self-assembly. Incorporation of nanoparticles (NPs), typically through covalent attachment of the polymer chains to the NP surface, can add additional functionality and tunability to such hybrid materials. The versatility of these thermoresponsive polymer/nanoparticle materials has been shown previously; however, significant and important differences exist in the published literature between virtually identical materials. Here we use poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm)-AuNPs as a model system to understand the aggregation behavior of thermoresponsive polymer-coated nanoparticles in pure water, made by either grafting-to or grafting-from methods. We show that, contrary to popular belief, the aggregation of PNIPAm-coated AuNPs, and likely other such materials, relies on the size and concentration of unbound "free" PNIPAm in solution. It is this unbound polymer that also leads to an increase in solution turbidity, a characteristic that is typically used to prove nanoparticle aggregation. The size of PNIPAm used to coat the AuNPs, as well as the concentration of the resultant polymer-AuNP composites, is shown to have little effect on aggregation. Without free PNIPAm, contraction of the polymer corona in response to increasing temperature is observed, instead of nanoparticle aggregation, and is accompanied by no change in solution turbidity or color. We develop an alternative method for removing all traces of excess free polymer and develop an approach for analyzing the aggregation behavior of such materials, which truly allows for heat-triggered aggregation to be studied.

Fabrication and Characterization of a Porous Silicon Drug Delivery System with an Initiated Chemical Vapor Deposition Temperature-Responsive Coating

This paper reports on the fabrication of a pSi-based drug delivery system, functionalized with an initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) polymer film, for the sustainable and temperature-dependent delivery of drugs. The devices were prepared by loading biodegradable porous silicon (pSi) with a fluorescent anticancer drug camptothecin (CPT) and coating the surface with temperature-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-diethylene glycol divinyl ether) (pNIPAM-co-DEGDVE) or non-stimulus-responsive poly(aminostyrene) (pAS) via iCVD. CPT released from the uncoated oxidized pSi control with a burst release fashion (∼21 nmol/(cm(2) h)), and this was almost identical at temperatures both above (37 °C) and below (25 °C) the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the switchable polymer used, pNIPAM-co-DEGDVE (28.5 °C). In comparison, the burst release rate from the pSi-pNIPAM-co-DEGDVE sample was substantially slower at 6.12 and 9.19 nmol/(cm(2) h) at 25 and 37 °C, respectively. The final amount of CPT released over 16 h was 10% higher at 37 °C compared to 25 °C for pSi coated with pNIPAM-co-DEGDVE (46.29% vs 35.67%), indicating that this material can be used to deliver drugs on-demand at elevated temperatures. pSi coated with pAS also displayed sustainable drug delivery profiles, but these were independent of the release temperature. These data show that sustainable and temperature-responsive delivery systems can be produced by functionalization of pSi with iCVD polymer films. Benefits of the iCVD approach include the application of the iCVD coating after drug loading without causing degradation of the drug commonly caused by exposure to factors such as solvents or high temperatures. Importantly, the iCVD process is applicable to a wide array of surfaces as the process is independent of the surface chemistry and pore size of the nanoporous matrix being coated.

Oxidation and temperature dual responsive polymers based on phenylboronic acid and N-isopropylacrylamide motifs

Oxidation and temperature dual responsive copolymers using ROS as a target for drug delivery have been demonstrated.

Low concentration thermoresponsive hydrogels from readily accessible triblock copolymers

Dilute (<1 wt%) aqueous solutions of ultrahigh molecular weight triblock copolymers (with M_n up to 500 000 g mol⁻¹) comprising a long central hydrophilic block of polydimethylacrylamide and shorter terminal blocks of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) form gels on heating.

Stabilizing effect of TMAO on globular PNIPAM states: preferential attraction induces preferential hydration

We study the effect of the organic co-solute trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) on the volume phase transition of microgel particles made from poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations.

N-Ester-substituted polyacrylamides with a tunable lower critical solution temperature (LCST): the N-ester-substitute dependent thermoresponse

New thermoresponsive polymers ofN-ester-substituted polyacrylamides were discovered, and theN-ester-substitute exerting a great influence on the solution property was demonstrated.

A RAFT copolymerization of NIPAM and HPMA and evaluation of thermo-responsive properties of poly(NIPAM-co-HPMA)

66 (co)polymers of NIPAM and HPMA with varying MW, composition, and end functionality were synthesized by RAFT polymerization and their thermo-responsive properties were systematically evaluated.

Influence of Confinement on the Chain Conformation of Cyclic Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)

In thin and ultrathin supported films, the conformations of flexible linear polymer chains might be considerably confined, in particular, for film thicknesses smaller than a few times the radius of gyration. For ring polymers in solution or in melt, the radii of gyration are significantly reduced as compared to those of their linear counterparts. We study here the influence of geometrical confinement on the chain conformation of cyclic PNIPAM in silicon-supported films. Measurements are performed by grazing incidence small angle neutron scattering (GISANS). For all films, the component of the radius of gyration parallel to the substrate, R_gc∥, is significantly higher than the unperturbed R_gc determined under theta solvent or melt conditions. We attribute this effect to a preferential selection of stretched PNIPAM ring conformations in thin films and a preferential orientation of macromolecules parallel to the film interfaces with the substrate and air.

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Phase Diagrams: Fifty Years of Research

In 1968, Heskins and Guillet published the first systematic study of the phase diagram of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), at the time a "young polymer" first synthesized in 1956. Since then, PNIPAM became the leading member of the growing families of thermoresponsive polymers and of stimuli-responsive, "smart" polymers in general. Its thermal response is unanimously attributed to its phase behavior. Yet, in spite of 50 years of research, a coherent quantitative picture remains elusive. In this Review we survey the reported phase diagrams, discuss the differences and comment on theoretical ideas regarding their possible origins. We aim to alert the PNIPAM community to open questions in this reputably mature domain.

Smart surfaces based on thermo-responsive polymer brushes prepared from L-alanine derivatives for cell capture and release

Two novel thermo-responsive polymer brushes were prepared from L-alanine derivatives using the surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) technique. The temperature-induced cell capture and release on both polymer brush modified substrates were further explored.

Macromolecular Crowding Modifies the Impact of Specific Hofmeister Ions on the Coil-Globule Transition of PNIPAM

Macromolecular crowding alters many biological processes ranging from protein folding and enzyme reactions in vivo to the precipitation and crystallization of proteins in vitro. Herein, we have investigated the effect of specific monovalent Hofmeister salts (NaH2PO4, NaF, NaCl, NaClO4, and NaSCN) on the coil-globule transition of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) in a crowded macromolecular environment as a model for understanding the specific-ion effect on the solubility and stability of proteins in a crowded macromolecular environment. It was found that although the salts (NaH2PO4, NaF, and NaCl) and the macromolecular crowder (polyethylene glycol) lowered the transition temperature almost independently, the macromolecular crowder had a great impact on the transition temperature in the case of the chaotropes (NaClO4 and NaSCN). The electrostatic repulsion between the chaotropic anions (ClO4(-) or SCN(-)) adsorbed on PNIPAM may reduce the entropic gain of water associated with the excluded volume effect, leading to an increase in the transition temperature, especially in the crowded environment. Furthermore, the affinity of the chaotropic anions for PNIPAM becomes small in the crowded environment, leading to further modification of the transition temperature. Thus, we have revealed that macromolecular crowding alters the effect of specific Hofmeister ions on the coil-globule transition of PNIPAM.

Electrostatic Self-Assembly of Au Nanoparticles onto Thermosensitive Magnetic Core-Shell Microgels for Thermally Tunable and Magnetically Recyclable Catalysis

A facile route to fabricate a nanocomposite of Fe3O4@poly[N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM)-co-2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA)]@Au (Fe3O4@PND@Au) is developed for magnetically recyclable and thermally tunable catalysis. The negatively charged Au nanoparticles with an average diameter of 10 nm are homogeneously loaded onto positively charged thermoresponsive magnetic core-shell microgels of Fe3O4@poly(NIPAM-co-DMAEMA) (Fe3O4@PND) through electrostatic self-assembly. This type of attachment offers perspectives for using charged polymeric shell on a broad variety of nanoparticles to immobilize the opposite-charged nanoparticles. The thermosensitive PND shell with swollen or collapsed properties can be as a retractable Au carrier, thereby tuning the aggregation or dispersion of Au nanoparticles, which leads to an increase or decrease of catalytic activity. Therefore, the catalytic activity of Fe3O4@PND@Au can be modulated by the volume transition of thermosensitive microgel shells. Importantly, the mode of tuning the aggregation or dispersion of Au nanoparticles using a thermosensitive carrier offers a novel strategy to adjust and control the catalytic activity, which is completely different with the traditional regulation mode of controlling the diffusion of reactants toward the catalytic Au core using the thermosensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) network as a nanogate. Concurrent with the thermally tunable catalysis, the magnetic susceptibility of magnetic cores enables the Fe3O4@PND@Au nanocomposites to be capable of serving as smart nanoreactors for thermally tunable and magnetically recyclable catalysis.

Influence of backbone conformational rigidity in temperature-sensitive amphiphilic supramolecular assemblies

Molecular design features that endow amphiphilic supramolecular assemblies with a unique temperature-sensitive transition have been investigated. We find that conformational rigidity in the backbone is an important feature for eliciting this feature. We also find that intramolecular hydrogen-bonding can induce such rigidity in amphiphile backbone. Guest encapsulation stability of these assemblies was found to be significantly altered within a narrow temperature window, which correlates with the temperature-sensitive size transition of the molecular assembly. Molecular design principles demonstrated here could have broad implications in developing future temperature-responsive systems.

Reversibly Cross-Linkable Thermoresponsive Self-Folding Hydrogel Films

This paper reports a novel approach for the design of self-folding films using reversibly cross-linkable thermoresponsive polymers with coumarin groups: poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-7-(2-methacryloyloxyethoxy)-4-methylcoumarin). We demonstrated that, depending on the structure of the films and the conditions of cross-linking/de-cross-linking, one can fabricate a variety of different forms ranging from simple tubes to complex centipede-like structures. The demonstrated approach opens new perspectives for the design of 3D self-assembling materials.

Advances in ophthalmic drug delivery

Various strategies for ocular drug delivery are considered; from basic formulation techniques for improving availability of drugs; viscosity enhancers and mucoadhesives aid drug retention and penetration enhancers promote drug transport into the eye. The use of drug-loaded contact lenses and ocular inserts allows drugs to be better placed where they are needed for more direct delivery. Developments in ocular implants gives a means to overcome the physical barriers that traditionally prevented effective treatment. Implant technologies are under development allowing long-term drug delivery from a single procedure, these devices allow posterior chamber diseases to be effectively treated. Future developments could bring artificial corneas to eliminate the need for donor tissue and one-off implantable drug depots lasting the patient's lifetime.

Thermogelling bioadhesive scaffolds for intervertebral disk tissue engineering: preliminary in vitro comparison of aldehyde-based versus alginate microparticle-mediated adhesion

Tissue engineering of certain load-bearing parts of the body can be dependent on scaffold adhesion or integration with the surrounding tissue to prevent dislocation. One such area is the regeneration of the intervertebral disc (IVD). In this work, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) was grafted with chondroitin sulfate (CS) (PNIPAAm-g-CS) and blended with aldehyde-modified CS to generate an injectable polymer that can form covalent bonds with tissue upon contact. However, the presence of the reactive aldehyde groups can compromise the viability of encapsulated cells. Thus, liposomes were encapsulated in the blend, designed to deliver the ECM derivative, gelatin, after the polymer has adhered to tissue and reached physiological temperature. This work is based on the hypothesis that the discharge of gelatin will enhance the biocompatibility of the material by covalently reacting with, or "end-capping", the aldehyde functionalities within the gel that did not participate in bonding with tissue upon contact. As a comparison, formulations were also created without CS aldehyde and with an alternative adhesion mediator, mucoadhesive calcium alginate particles. Gels formed from blends of PNIPAAm-g-CS and CS aldehyde exhibited increased adhesive strength compared to PNIPAAm-g-CS alone (p<0.05). However, the addition of gelatin-loaded liposomes to the blend significantly decreased the adhesive strength (p<0.05). The encapsulation of alginate microparticles within PNIPAAm-g-CS gels caused the tensile strength to increase twofold over that of PNIPAAm-g-CS blends with CS aldehyde (p<0.05). Cytocompatibility studies indicate that formulations containing alginate particles exhibit reduced cytotoxicity over those containing CS aldehyde. Overall, the results indicated that the adhesives composed of alginate microparticles encapsulated in PNIPAAm-g-CS have the potential to serve as a scaffold for IVD regeneration.

Polymeric micelles with stimuli-triggering systems for advanced cancer drug targeting

Since the 1990s, nanoscale drug carriers have played a pivotal role in cancer chemotherapy, acting through passive drug delivery mechanisms and subsequent pharmaceutical action at tumor tissues with reduction of adverse effects. Polymeric micelles, as supramolecular assemblies of amphiphilic polymers, have been considerably developed as promising drug carrier candidates, and a number of clinical studies of anticancer drug-loaded polymeric micelle carriers for cancer chemotherapy applications are now in progress. However, these systems still face several issues; at present, the simultaneous control of target-selective delivery and release of incorporated drugs remains difficult. To resolve these points, the introduction of stimuli-responsive mechanisms to drug carrier systems is believed to be a promising approach to provide better solutions for future tumor drug targeting strategies. As possible trigger signals, biological acidic pH, light, heating/cooling and ultrasound actively play significant roles in signal-triggering drug release and carrier interaction with target cells. This review article summarizes several molecular designs for stimuli-responsive polymeric micelles in response to variation of pH, light and temperature and discusses their potentials as next-generation tumor drug targeting systems.

Synthesis and click chemistry of a new class of biodegradable polylactide towards tunable thermo-responsive biomaterials

A new class of clickable and biodegradable polylactide was designed and prepared via bulk polymerization of 3,6-dipropargyloxymethyl-1,4-dioxane-2,5-dione (1) which was synthesized from easily accessible propargyloxylactic acid (5). A homopolymer of 1 and random copolymer of 1 with l-lactide were obtained as amorphous materials and exhibit low Tg of 8.5 and 34 °C, respectively, indicating their promising potentials for biomedical applications. The statistical nature of random copolymers was investigated by DSC analysis and 13C NMR spectroscopy, which implies the random distribution of terminal alkyne groups along the back bone of copolymers. The efficient click post-modification of this new class of polylactide with alkyl and mPEG azides affords novel hydrophilic biomaterials, which exhibit reversible thermo-responsive properties as evidenced by their tunable LCST ranging from 22 to 69 °C depending on the balance of the incorporated hydrophilic/hydrophobic side chains. These results indicate the generality of this new class of clickable polylactide in preparing novel smart biomaterials in a simple and efficient manner via click chemistry.

Self-assembly of a hydrophobically end-capped charged amphiphilic triblock copolymer: effects of temperature and salinity

This study elucidates the intricate interplay between hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions in aqueous solutions of a responsive charged triblock copolymer.

Temperature- and salt-responsive polyoxometalate–poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hybrid macromolecules in aqueous solution

New polyoxometalate–poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) macromolecular hybrids form blackberry structures and demonstrate temperature- and salt-responsiveness in aqueous solution.

Monitoring the intracellular transformation process of surface-cleavable PLGA particles containing disulfide bonds by fluorescence resonance energy transfer

The FRET technique was used to quantify the surface cleavage kinetics of PLGA particles containing disulfide bonds in cells.