Authors: Hiroyuki Kogure Sunao Nanami Yuka Masuda Yoshiharu Toyama Kenji Kubota
Publish Date: 2005/06/14
Volume: 283, Issue: 11, Pages: 1163-1171
Abstract
Thermal response of Nisopropylacrylamide NiPAM gel particles of submicron size was investigated by means of ultrasonic velocity and density focusing on the hydration and dehydration behavior Hydration number defined as the number of water molecules bound to one NiPAM monomer unit was quantitatively evaluated in the course of the volume phase transition Hydration numbers at low and high temperatures were about 75 20 °C and 3 40 °C respectively Hydration number decreases markedly near the volume phase transition temperature and the decrease is responsible to the formation of hydrophobic bonding and dehydration The hydration number is independent both of the size and the composition of gel particles in the shrunken state although there exists a composition dependence in the swollen state It was also found that the selfassemblies formed by hydrophobic interaction are more bulky compared to those in the hydrated state
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