@article{f8594005fb4141808442150e3001517d,
title = "One-pot precipitation polymerisation strategy for tuneable injectable Laponite (R)-pNIPAM hydrogels: Polymerisation, processability and beyond",
abstract = "Highly processable hydrogels loaded with active components for localised drug delivery and/or live cells for regenerative medicine are an attractive target for biotechnology research. We describe a single-pot precipitation polymerisation of poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) from the surface of dispersed Laponite{\textregistered} platelets in aqueous media above its lower critical solution temperature (LCST), yielding tightly packed pNIPAM globules that resist aggregation and can be maintained for long periods of time as a low viscosity colloidal suspension. Upon cooling, the pNIPAM chains transform from the {\textquoteleft}globule{\textquoteright} to the {\textquoteleft}coil{\textquoteright} conformation, establishing multiple physical interactions and chain entanglement leading to irreversible gel formation. We have shown that the temperature and rate of phase transition and the rheological and mechanical properties of Laponite{\textregistered}-pNIPAM hydrogel can be tailored by addition of N, N′-dimethylacrylamide (DMAc) comonomer and other biologically relevant additives. The tuneable properties of Laponite{\textregistered}-pNIPAM hydrogel confirms its excellent potential for a wide range of therapeutic applications.",
keywords = "Injectable hydrogel, Localised drug delivery, Lower critical solution temperature, Regenerative medicine, Thermoresponsive polymers",
author = "Victoria Boyes and Ronak Janani and Fielding, {Lee A.} and Simon Partridge and Christopher Breen and Jonathan Foulkes and {Le Maitre}, Christine and Chris Sammon",
note = "Funding Information: The authors would like to thank Smith and Nephew Extruded Films and EPSRC (EP/H000275/1, EP/I016473/1), Versus Arthritis , MRC ( MR/P026796/1 ) and this project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 825925 (iPSpine). We would also like to offer kind thanks to Sheffield Hallam University staff member Stuart Creasey, at the Materials and Engineering Research Institute, for help with the use of the scanning electron microscope. Funding Information: The authors would like to thank Smith and Nephew Extruded Films and EPSRC (EP/H000275/1, EP/I016473/1), Versus Arthritis, MRC (MR/P026796/1) and this project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 825925 (iPSpine). We would also like to offer kind thanks to Sheffield Hallam University staff member Stuart Creasey, at the Materials and Engineering Research Institute, for help with the use of the scanning electron microscope. The authors would like to dedicate this publication to Prof Chris Breen who passed away February 13, 2018. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021",
year = "2021",
month = oct,
day = "26",
doi = "10.1016/j.polymer.2021.124201",
language = "English",
volume = "233",
journal = "Polymer",
issn = "0032-3861",
publisher = "Elsevier BV",
}