Preparation and Swelling Behavior of Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic Acid Derivatived L-phenylalanine) Hydrogels

Abstract

A series of novel temperature-sensitive hydrogels with chiral group, poly(NIPA-co-AAc-L-Phe), were synthesized by copolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide(NIPA) and acrylic acid derivatived L-phenylalanine (AAc-L-Phe) in ethanol with different feed ratios. Their swelling behaviors in response to temperature and deswelling/reswelling kinetics have been studied. The primary results showed that poly (NIPA-co-AAc-L-Phe) hydrogels are thermo-responsive and have potential applications in the biological chemistry.