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Thermo-Responsive Porous Membranes of Controllable Porous Morphology from Triblock Copolymers of Polycaprolactone and Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Prepared by Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization
Stimuli-responsive polymers are of crucial importance in the design of smart biomaterials. The thermo-responsive triblock copolymers of polycaprolactone (PCL) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (P(NIPAAm)), or P(NIPAAm)-b-PCL-b- P(NIPAAm) copolymers, were synthesized in this work via atom transfer radi...
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Published in: | Biomacromolecules 2008-01, Vol.9 (1), p.331-339 |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Citations: | Items that this one cites Items that cite this one |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | Stimuli-responsive polymers are of crucial importance in the design of smart biomaterials. The thermo-responsive triblock copolymers of polycaprolactone (PCL) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (P(NIPAAm)), or P(NIPAAm)-b-PCL-b- P(NIPAAm) copolymers, were synthesized in this work via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The P(NIPAAm)-b-PCL-b-P(NIPAAm) copolymers were cast by phase inversion in water into porous membranes with well-defined and uniformly distributed pores. The P(NIPAAm) content in the P(NIPAAm)-b-PCL-b- P(NIPAAm) copolymers and the temperature of the aqueous medium for phase inversion could be used to control the pore size and porosity of the membranes. The thermo-responsive characteristics of the membranes were illustrated in the controlled water uptake and temperature-dependent glucose transport through the membranes. These temperature-sensitive membranes with controllable morphology have potential applications in biomedical engineering, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. |
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ISSN: | 1525-7797 1526-4602 |
DOI: | 10.1021/bm7008922 |