A Remarkable Impact of pH on the Thermo-Responsive Properties of Alginate-Based Composite Hydrogels Incorporating P2VP-PEO Micellar Nanoparticles.

ABSTRACT: A heterograft copolymer with an alginate backbone, hetero-grafted by polymer pendant chains displaying different lower critical solution temperatures (LCSTs), combined with a pH-responsive poly(2-vinyl pyridine)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (P2VP-b-PEO) diblock copolymer forming micellar nanoparticles, was investigated in aqueous media at various pHs. Due to its thermo-responsive side chains, the copolymer forms hydrogels with a thermo-induced sol-gel transition, above a critical temperature, T_gel (thermo-thickening). However, by lowering the pH of the medium in an acidic regime, a remarkable increase in the elasticity of the formulation was observed. This effect was more pronounced in low temperatures (below T_gel), suggesting secondary physical crosslinking,

SUBMITTER: Iliopoulou A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11013835 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature