Pressure-Dependence of Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Mesoglobule Formation in Aqueous Solution

ACS Macro Lett. 2017 Nov 21;6(11):1180-1185. doi: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.7b00563. Epub 2017 Oct 9.

Abstract

Above their cloud point, aqueous solutions of the thermoresponsive polymer poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) form large mesoglobules. We have carried out very small-angle neutron scattering (VSANS with q = 0.21-2.3 × 10-3 Å-1) and Raman spectroscopy experiments on a 3 wt % PNIPAM solution in D2O at atmospheric and elevated pressures (up to 113 MPa). Raman spectroscopy reveals that, at high pressure, the polymer is less dehydrated upon crossing the cloud point. VSANS shows that the mesoglobules are significantly larger and contain more D2O than at atmospheric pressure. We conclude that the size of the mesoglobules and thus their growth process are closely related to the hydration state of PNIPAM.