No description available.

Yes / Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and neutron spin-echo (NSE) have been used to investigate the temperature-dependent solution behaviour of highly-branched poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (HB-PNIPAM). SANS experiments have shown that water is a good solvent for both HB-PNIPAM and a linear PNIPAM control at low temperatures where the small angle scattering is described by a single correlation length model. Increasing the temperature leads to a gradual collapse of HB-PNIPAM until above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST), at which point aggregation occurs, forming disperse spherical particles of up to 60 nm in diameter, independent of the degree of branching. However, SANS from linear PNIPAM above the LCST is described by a model that combines particulate structure and a contribution from solvated chains. NSE was used to study the internal and translational solution dynamics of HB-PNIPAM chains below the LCST. Internal HB-PNIPAM dynamics is described well by the Rouse model for non-entangled chains.

No description available.

Yes / Understanding the structure-property relationships of drug delivery system (DDS) components is critical for their development and the prediction of bodily performance. This study investigates the effects of introducing polyethylene oxide (PEO) homopolymers, over a wide range of molecular weights, into Pluronic injectable smart hydrogel formulations. These smart DDSs promise to enhance patient compliance, reduce adverse effects and dosing frequency. Pharmaceutically, Pluronic systems are attractive due to their unique sol-gel phase transition in the body, biocompatibility, safety and ease of injectability as solutions before transforming into gel matrices at body temperature. This paper presents a systematic and comprehensive evaluation of gelation and the interplay of microscopic and macroscopic properties under both equilibrium and non-equilibrium conditions in controlled environments, as measured by rheology in conjunction with time-resolved Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS). The non-equilibrium conditions investigated in this work offer a better understanding of the two polymeric systems’ complex interactions affecting the matrix thermo-rheological behaviour and structure and therefore the future release of an active pharmaceutical ingredient from the injectable DDS.