Issue 22, 2008

Temperature sensitive hybrid microgels loaded with ZnO nanoparticles

Abstract

We report on a generic approach for the preparation of ZnO loaded temperature sensitive hybrid microgels with structural hierarchy. The synthetic process involves controlled hydrolysis of Zn(CH3COO)2·2H2O salt in the presence of poly(N-vinylcaprolactam-co-acetoacetoxyethylmethacrylate) (PVCL-AAEM) microgel templates in 2-propanol. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron mapping image (EMI) analysis have been employed to prove the presence of ZnO nanoparticles inside the polymeric templates. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements reveal that hybrid microgels display a temperature sensitivity similar to the pure template particles, even at a high loading of ZnO nanoparticles. Changes in size, morphology and physical properties of hybrid microgels as a function of the loading amount of ZnO nanoparticles have been discussed. We demonstrate that these nanostructured materials can effectively be used as transparent UV-shielding materials. In addition, these submicrometre-size hybrid microgels could be applied in the fields of optoelectronic devices, UV-detectors, and photocatalysts.

Graphical abstract: Temperature sensitive hybrid microgels loaded with ZnO nanoparticles

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
06 Feb 2008
Accepted
03 Apr 2008
First published
18 Apr 2008

J. Mater. Chem., 2008,18, 2581-2586

Temperature sensitive hybrid microgels loaded with ZnO nanoparticles

M. Agrawal, A. Pich, S. Gupta, N. E. Zafeiropoulos, J. Rubio-Retama, F. Simon and M. Stamm, J. Mater. Chem., 2008, 18, 2581 DOI: 10.1039/B802102C

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