Poly (N-isopropylacrylamide)-Clay Nanocomposite Hydrogels with Patterned Thermo-Responsive Behavior

Abstract

Poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA)-clay nanocomposite hydrogels (NC gels) having small patterns of several hundred micrometers were prepared by photoinitiated radical polymerization with the use of a patterned photomask. The irradiated region of the obtained gels became more opaque than the masked region at temperatures above its lower critical solution temperature (LCST), indicating that the small patterns with modulated thermo-responsive behavior can be fabricated in the stretchable and tough PNIPA-clay NC gels.