A facile preparation of cotton fabric containing hybrid poly(sodium methacrylate)/silver nanoparticles for oil removal and water disinfection

Water scarcity and pollution has become one of the most serious problems in the world. Generally, both oils and microorganisms exist in polluted water, hence multi-functional materials for the removal of diverse substances from water are desired. We reported a facile method for preparing cotton fabric possessing hybrid poly(sodium methacrylate) (pNaMAA)/silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for oil/water separation and water disinfection. A crosslinked pNaMAA layer was generated on the cotton surface by ultraviolet-initiated polymerization. By replacing Na+in pNaMAA molecules, Ag+was incorporated into the fabric and then was reduced to AgNPs in situ by photo-thermal reduction. Due to the high underwater oleophobicity and bactericidal effect of the pNaMAA/AgNP hybrid layer, the gravity-driven oil/water separation efficiency of the prepared fabric was higher than 99% and the bacteria killing ratio achieved nearly 100%. Furthermore, AgNPs exhibited relatively good fastness during application. Combining their excellent oil removal and water disinfection effectiveness, these textile-based materials provide a promising future in the field of point-of-use water purification.

Monolithic intercalated PNIPAm/starch hydrogels with very fast and extensive one-way volume and swelling responses to temperature and pH: prospective actuators and drug release systems

Ultra-fast and extensive shrinking triggered by both pH andTwas achieved with monolithic poly(NIPAm-co-sodium methacrylate) hydrogels intercalated by starch.

Reappearance of slow mode in mixtures of polyethylene glycol and poly(sodium methacrylate)

After addition of poly(ethylene glycol) to a solution of poly(sodium methacrylate), the slow-mode dynamic light scattering signal reappears.

Triblock copolymers of styrene and sodium methacrylate as smart materials: synthesis and rheological characterization

Well-defined amphiphilic triblock poly(sodium methacrylate)-polystyrene-poly(sodium methacrylate) (PMAA-b-PS-b-PMAA) copolymers characterized by a different length of either the hydrophilic or the hydrophobic block have been synthesized by ATRP. In solution the micelle-like aggregates consist of a collapsed PS core surrounded by stretched charged PMAA chains. The micelles are kinetically ‘frozen’ and as a consequence the triblock copolymers do not show a significant surface activity. The hydrophilic block length has a major influence on the rheology, the shortest PMAA blocks yielding the strongest gels (at the same total weight concentration). The hydrophobic block length has only a minor influence until a certain threshold, below which the hydrophobic interactions are too weak resulting in weak gels. A mathematical model is used to describe the micelle radius and the results were in good agreement with the experimentally found radius in transmission electron microscopy. The influences of the ionic strength, pH and temperature on the rheology has also been investigated, showing the potential of these polymers as smart hydrogels. The change in conformation of the hydrophilic corona from the collapsed state to the stretched state by changing the pH was quantified with zeta-potential measurements. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic investigation of this kind of triblock copolymers in terms of their rheological behavior in water.