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Aqueous microgels modified with photosensitive wedge-shaped amphiphilic molecules: synthesis, structure and photochemical behaviour

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Abstract

Aqueous microgels based on poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) with reversible temperature-induced volume transition are promising “smart” materials for various applications. In this work, the microgels are modified via acid–base interaction by wedge-shaped amphiphilic sulfonic acid molecules with alkyl chains of different lengths and an azobenzene group. In contrast to the pristine microgel the modified microgels retain colloidal stability in water and show different responses to the change of temperature and pH. The azobenzene group in the ligand molecules acts as a spectroscopic and kinetic probe sensing the microenvironment inside the microgel particles. Thus, the observed hyperchromicity upon heating suggests the enhancement of hydrophobicity with the increase of temperature. The hydrophobicity of the microgel interior increases with the increase of the modification degree as indicated by the increase of activation energy of the thermal Z/E isomerization of the azobenzene group.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials e.V. and Institute for Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry of RWTH Aachen University, Forkenbeckstr. 50, Aachen, D-52056, Germany

    Andrey V. Dolgopolov, Andrij Pich, Xiaomin Zhu & Martin Möller

  2. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University), Institutskiy per. 9, Dolgoprudny, 141700, Russian Federation

    Kseniia N. Grafskaia, Polina V. Bovsunovskaya, Elina R. Melnikova & Dimitri A. Ivanov

  3. Institute of Problems of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow region, Chernogolovka, 142432, Russian Federation

    Kseniia N. Grafskaia, Polina V. Bovsunovskaya, Elina R. Melnikova & Dimitri A. Ivanov

  4. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Fundamental Physical and Chemical Engineering, Leninskie Gory 1/51, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation

    Dimitri A. Ivanov

  5. Institut de Science de Matériaux de Mulhouse (IS2M CNRS UMR 7361), 15 rue Jean Starcky, Mulhouse, F-68057, France

    Dimitri A. Ivanov

Authors
  1. Andrey V. Dolgopolov
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  2. Kseniia N. Grafskaia
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  3. Polina V. Bovsunovskaya
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  4. Elina R. Melnikova
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  5. Dimitri A. Ivanov
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  6. Andrij Pich
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  7. Xiaomin Zhu
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  8. Martin Möller
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xiaomin Zhu.

Additional information

Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: X-ray data obtained from microgel dispersions. See DOI: 10.1039/c9pp00044e

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Dolgopolov, A.V., Grafskaia, K.N., Bovsunovskaya, P.V. et al. Aqueous microgels modified with photosensitive wedge-shaped amphiphilic molecules: synthesis, structure and photochemical behaviour. Photochem Photobiol Sci 18, 1709–1715 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1039/c9pp00044e

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/c9pp00044e

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