Abstract
Mechanochemical reaction which is caused by the complexation between poly (methacrylic acid) (PMAA) network and poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) was studied. It was found that the water swollen PMAA membranes, suspended with 490 mg of load over the embedding fluids (70 ml of water) containing PEG, make reversible contraction-dilation with increasing-decrea sing temperature. Changes in length of the membrane, for example, 4.7 mg of dry membrane, to which a load of weight 100 times the weight of the membrane was attached, go up 90%(in respect to the length of the dry membrane) in the temperature range of 10 to 40°C. The temperature region in which the mechanochemical reaction proceeds most efficiently can be regulated by changing the PEG concentration in the embedding fluid. It was also found that the dependence of contraction-dilation on the change in temperature can be reversed by the addition of a small amount of ethanol to the embedding solution of PEG (i. e., increase in temperature results in dilation of the membrane).
