Preparation and Characterization of Thermoresponsive Poly(N-vinylisobutyramide) Microgels

Microgels are soft, adaptive materials exhibiting various properties not only like hydrogels and microparticles but also like macromolecules, colloids, and surfactants. To widen the range of their biomedical and environmental applications, the exploration of an alternative for poly(N-alkylacrylamide)s without potential safety risks is of great importance. In this article, thermoresponsive poly(N-vinylisobutyramide) (PNVIBA) microgels of uniform size were synthesized with NVIBA as a monomer and N,N'-5-oxanonamethyene-bis-N-vinylacetamide as a cross-linker in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate by aqueous free radical precipitation polymerization. The introduction of cationic groups into PNVIBA microgels was also accomplished using N-vinylformamide (NVF) as a comonomer and the subsequent conversion of NVF into vinylamine by hydrolysis.