TY - JOUR
T1 - Electrostatic Swelling Transitions in Surface-Bound Microgels
AU - Nyström, Lina
AU - Álvarez-Asencio, Rubén
AU - Frenning, Göran
AU - Saunders, Brian R
AU - Rutland, Mark W
AU - Malmsten, Martin
PY - 2016/10/12
Y1 - 2016/10/12
N2 - Herein, electrostatic swelling transitions of poly(ethyl acrylate-co-methacrylic acid) microgels covalently bound to silica surfaces are investigated. Confined at a solid surface, microgel swelling is anisotropically hindered and the structure is flattened to an extent dictated by pH and microgel composition. Microgel deformation under applied load is also shown to depend on microgel charge density, with the highest deformation observed at intermediate charge densities. Two modes of microgel deformation under load were observed, one elastic and one viscoelastic, related to polymer strand deformation and displacement of trapped water, respectively. Results on polymer strand dynamics reveal that the microgels are highly dynamic, as the number of strand-tip interaction points increases 4-fold during a 10 s contact time. Furthermore, finite element modeling captures these effects qualitatively and shows that stress propagation in the microgel network decays locally at the rim of contact with a solid interface or close to the tip probe. Taken together, the results demonstrate a delicate interplay between the surface and microgel which determines the structure and nanomechanical properties of the latter and needs to be controlled in applications of systems such as pH-responsive surface coatings in biomaterials.
AB - Herein, electrostatic swelling transitions of poly(ethyl acrylate-co-methacrylic acid) microgels covalently bound to silica surfaces are investigated. Confined at a solid surface, microgel swelling is anisotropically hindered and the structure is flattened to an extent dictated by pH and microgel composition. Microgel deformation under applied load is also shown to depend on microgel charge density, with the highest deformation observed at intermediate charge densities. Two modes of microgel deformation under load were observed, one elastic and one viscoelastic, related to polymer strand deformation and displacement of trapped water, respectively. Results on polymer strand dynamics reveal that the microgels are highly dynamic, as the number of strand-tip interaction points increases 4-fold during a 10 s contact time. Furthermore, finite element modeling captures these effects qualitatively and shows that stress propagation in the microgel network decays locally at the rim of contact with a solid interface or close to the tip probe. Taken together, the results demonstrate a delicate interplay between the surface and microgel which determines the structure and nanomechanical properties of the latter and needs to be controlled in applications of systems such as pH-responsive surface coatings in biomaterials.
KW - Journal Article
U2 - 10.1021/acsami.6b09751
DO - 10.1021/acsami.6b09751
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 27644921
SN - 1944-8244
VL - 8
SP - 27129
EP - 27139
JO - A C S Applied Materials and Interfaces
JF - A C S Applied Materials and Interfaces
IS - 40
ER -