Electrochemical Synthesis Of Polymer Microgels

When microgels that have a three-dimension cross-linked polymer structure are equipped with stimuli responsive abilities,we can call them "smart microgels".These microgels maintain stable in solvent and build transparent quasi-homogeneous circumstance.Thus,they can play efficient roles in the fields of medical cure and catalyst carrier or absorbing materials.The particle size and morphology of microgel influences the characteristic,especially the catalytic ability if it owns.Plenty of facts have demonstrated that microgel with a particle size smaller than 50 nm can perform better than a larger one,because these small-sized microgels can enrich catalyst spots and move faster.Thanks to the milder rejection,they may have a longer existing time in vivo as well.However,most synthesis strategies for ultra-small microgels have different kinds of limitations.It always relies on either decreasing the concentration of monomer in full measure or designing complex multifunctional monomer to reduce the inter crosslinking of polymer growth chains.Nowadays one of the main consuming forms of energy in human's society is electric energy.We cannot live without electricity,such as the electronic cooker,air conditioner,high-speed railway,electronic lights,and even the smart mobile phones that is very convenient to pay for bills.Therefore,applying electricity to polymer synthesis is in the trend.This article based on the application of electrosynthesis to polymerization comes up with several new simple methods for the synthesis of microgels and ultra-small microgels.Since there are many limitations to existing synthesis methods for ultral-small microgels,we put forward an electrochemical synthesis strategy based on square wave potential.We chose three different monomers as research models and investigated their polymerization product under square-wave potential of different amplitude or transforming period.They were less flexible styrene monomer,flexible poly(ethylene glycol)methyl ether methacrylate monomer,and fluorescent o-phenanthroline monomer.As a result,we made a conclusion that the square-wave potential with smaller amplitude and shorter period would more likely induce to generate smaller-size microgel particles.Moreover,less flexible monomer fit the rules better in our experiments.Nevertheless,the square-wave potential induced electropolymerization still breaks the restriction of concentration or particularity of monomers and can be used widely.Furthermore,we explored the utilization of photovoltaic technology in electrochemical polymerization with a normal simple solar cell.The microgel products of the light assistant electrical polymerization including NIP AM and MEO5MA both showed a brilliant temperature-responsive behavior.This environmental friendly synthesis method confirmed the superior of electrochemical synthesis and the concept that square-wave potential would guide to produce ultra-small microgels.The outdoor portable experiments also help us expand a new research direction of controlling microgel's morphology.