Nitroxide‐Mediated Aqueous Dispersion Polymerization: From Water‐Soluble Macroalkoxyamine to Thermosensitive Nanogels

Abstract

Abstract Self‐stabilized nanoparticles with a temperature‐responsive poly[( N , N ‐diethylacrylamide)‐ co ‐( N , N ′‐methylenebisacrylamide)] microgel core and a covalently attached hairy shell were synthesized via a simple nitroxide‐mediated controlled free‐radical aqueous dispersion polymerization, using a poly(sodium acrylate) alkoxyamine macroinitiator. With this method, high solid content, surfactant‐free particle suspensions were prepared, with diameter ranging from 49 to 118 nm at high temperature, and able to reversibly swell with water at low temperature. The proposed method requires a limited number of reagents in a simple polymerization procedure and thus avoids many drawbacks generally encountered in the synthesis of thermally responsive microgel particles. magnified image