“Smart” stimuli-responsive polymeric systems for sensing applications
The prestigious journal Macromolecules has published a new paper from IMC researchers about “smart” stimuli-responsive polymeric systems for sensing applications.
In a new study, researchers have synthesized and studied symmetrical star-shaped porphyrin-PNIPAM4 (PP) conjugates. These molecules contain properties typical for porphyrin (pH sensitivity) and for PNIPAM polymer (temperature response). The research from the initial design, synthesis and detailed physicochemical analysis took the scientists about three years. The team from the IMC collaborated with colleagues from the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (WPI-MANA) at National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Tsukuba, Japan. “We performed many physicochemical analyses such as NMR, DLS, UV-Vis, etc., including an X-ray scattering measurement at the largest European synchrotron radiation facility (ESRF) in Grenoble. The work also contained a theoretical part where the experimental results are put into the context of the well-known Flory-Huggins theory,” says dr. Nadiia Velychkivska from Department of NMR Spectroscopy & X-ray and Neutron Diffraction.
The extensive characterization of novel PP conjugates was a time-demanding process. “I had to learn many aspects of the seven different experimental methods used in this study. The collaboration with colleagues from various disciplines was especially helpful for the success of this project,” adds dr. Nadiia Velychkivska.
