Effect of PEGDMA Molecular Weight on the Physicochemical Properties of Thermoresponsive N-Vinylcaprolactam-Based Polymers
- 1Department of Physical Chemistry and Biophysics, Pharmaceutical Faculty, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 211, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland
Abstract
Thermosensitive polymers P1–P5 of N-vinylcaprolactam (NVCL) and poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylates (PEGDMAs), av. Mn 750–20,000, were synthesized via surfactant-free precipitation polymerization (SFPP) using the cationic initiator 2,2′-azobis[2-methylpropionamidine] dihydrochloride (AMPA) at 70 °C. The polymerization course was monitored by conductivity. The physicochemical properties and thermoresponsive behavior of the polymers were investigated over the temperature range of 18–45 °C using dynamic light scattering, electrophoretic mobility measurements, surface tension, osmolality, attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. At 18 °C, all polymers formed nanoscale dispersed structures, with hydrodynamic diameters of approximately 23–41 nm. Heating induced pronounced changes in hydrodynamic diameter, with the magnitude of the response and transition temperature varying with PEGDMA chain length. The polymers differed in the extent of temperature-induced aggregation and in thermal hysteresis, reflecting differences in the reversibility of their temperature-induced changes in hydrodynamic diameter. Zeta potential and surface tension measurements revealed variations in interfacial properties among the polymer systems, whereas osmolality remained low and comparable between samples. Overall, variations in PEGDMA molecular weight were associated with differences in the physicochemical and thermoresponsive behavior of the NVCL-based polymer networks; however, no simple monotonic relationship between cross-linker molecular weight and the investigated properties was observed.
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BibTeX
@article{gola2026effect,
title = {{Effect of PEGDMA Molecular Weight on the Physicochemical Properties of Thermoresponsive N-Vinylcaprolactam-Based Polymers}},
author = {Agnieszka Gola and Kinga Sadowy and Witold Musiał},
journal = {Polymers},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/polym18212633},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/21/2633},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Effect of PEGDMA Molecular Weight on the Physicochemical Properties of Thermoresponsive N-Vinylcaprolactam-Based Polymers
AU - Agnieszka Gola
AU - Kinga Sadowy
AU - Witold Musiał
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Polymers
DO - 10.3390/polym18212633
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/21/2633
AB - Thermosensitive polymers P1–P5 of N-vinylcaprolactam (NVCL) and poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylates (PEGDMAs), av. Mn 750–20,000, were synthesized via surfactant-free precipitation polymerization (SFPP) using the cationic initiator 2,2′-azobis[2-methylpropionamidine] dihydrochloride (AMPA) at 70 °C. The polymerization course was monitored by conductivity. The physicochemical properties and thermoresponsive behavior of the polymers were investigated over the temperature range of 18–45 °C using dynamic light scattering, electrophoretic mobility measurements, surface tension, osmolality, attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. At 18 °C, all polymers formed nanoscale dispersed structures, with hydrodynamic diameters of approximately 23–41 nm. Heating induced pronounced changes in hydrodynamic diameter, with the magnitude of the response and transition temperature varying with PEGDMA chain length. The polymers differed in the extent of temperature-induced aggregation and in thermal hysteresis, reflecting differences in the reversibility of their temperature-induced changes in hydrodynamic diameter. Zeta potential and surface tension measurements revealed variations in interfacial properties among the polymer systems, whereas osmolality remained low and comparable between samples. Overall, variations in PEGDMA molecular weight were associated with differences in the physicochemical and thermoresponsive behavior of the NVCL-based polymer networks; however, no simple monotonic relationship between cross-linker molecular weight and the investigated properties was observed.
SN - 2073-4360
ER -