Poly(N-allyl acrylamide) as a Reactive Platform toward Functional Hydrogels

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Biomaterials Engineering

Background:

• Developing novel polymer platforms is crucial for advanced functional materials.
• Hydrogels with tunable properties are in demand for various applications.
• Poly(N-allyl acrylamide) (PNAllAm) offers potential as a versatile polymer precursor.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize poly(N-allyl acrylamide) (PNAllAm) from poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA).
• To characterize PNAllAm and determine its properties, including its lower critical solution temperature.
• To utilize PNAllAm in the preparation of functional hydrogels via thiol-ene chemistry and investigate the impact of functional thiols on hydrogel properties.

Main Methods:

• Organocatalyzed amidation of poly(methyl acrylate) with allylamine to synthesize PNAllAm.
• Characterization using 1H NMR spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography (SEC), and turbidimetry.
• Hydrogel formation via photoinitiated thiol-ene click chemistry using dithiothreitol (DTT) and mercaptoethanol (ME).

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis and characterization of PNAllAm, with an estimated lower critical solution temperature of ~26 °C in water.
• Formation of functional hydrogels using PNAllAm as a reactive platform.
• Demonstrated modulation of hydrogel properties, specifically a decrease in volume-phase transition temperature with increasing mercaptoethanol content.

Conclusions:

• A straightforward method for preparing PNAllAm from PMA was established.
• PNAllAm serves as a valuable reactive polymer platform for generating functional hydrogels.
• The incorporation of functional thiols allows for tuning the thermoresponsive behavior of the resulting hydrogels.