Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)

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Formula of a single NIPAM molecule
Formula of a single NIPAM molecule

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (variously abbreviated PNIPA, PNIPAAM or PNIPAm) is a temperature-responsive polymer that was first synthesized in the 1950s.[1]

It forms a three-dimensional hydrogel when crosslinked with N,N’-methylene-bis-acrylamide (MBAm) or N,N’-cystamine-bis-acrylamide (CBAm). When heated in water above 33°C, it undergoes a reversible phase transition from a swollen hydrated state to a shrunken dehydrated state, losing about 90% of its mass. Since PNIPAm expels its liquid contents at a temperature near that of the human body, PNIPAm has been investigated by many researchers for possible applications in controlled drug delivery.[2][3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Schild, H. G. “Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide: experiment, theory and application” Progress in Polymer Science, 1992, 17 (2), 163–249.
  2. ^ Chung, J. E.; Yokoyama, M.; Yamato, M.; Aoyagi, T.; Sakurai, Y.; Okano, T. “Thermo-responsive drug delivery from polymeric micelles constructed using block copolymers of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) and poly(butylmethacrylate)” Journal of Controlled Release, 1999, 62, 115–127. Abstract
  3. ^ Hu Yan and Kaoru Tsujii. “Potential application of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gel containing polymeric micelles to drug delivery systems” Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces. 2005, 46, 142–146. Abstract
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