Homogeneous hydrogels made of an interpenetrating network of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAAc) are synthesized by a two-step process; first making PNIPAm hydrogels and then interpenetrating acrylic acid throughout the hydrogel through polymerization. The kinetic growth of the IPN is plotted and an equation is fitted to the data. When diluted to certain concentrations in water, the hydrogels show reversible, inverse thermal gelation at about 34°C. This shows unique application to the medical field, as the transition is just below body temperature. A drug release experiment is performed using high molecular weight dyes, and a phase diagram is created through observation of the purified, concentrated gel at varying concentrations and temperatures.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc5382 |
| Date | 08 1900 |
| Creators | Crouch, Stephen Wallace |
| Contributors | Hu, Zhibing, Dandekar, Sushama |
| Publisher | University of North Texas |
| Source Sets | University of North Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | Text |
| Rights | Public, Copyright, Crouch, Stephen Wallace, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. |
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