Tunable Thermoresponsive Polymers by Molecular Design

Supramolecular Chemistry Group, Department of Organic Chemistry, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281 S4, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium 

Responsive polymeric materials that undergo a solubility phase transition by variation in temperature are particularly interesting since they allow the development of smart soluble materials or smart fluids. The majority of such responsive polymeric materials that undergo a phase transition in aqueous solution exhibit a lower critical solution temperature (LCST). 

Complex Macromolecular Architectures Synthesis, Characterization, and Self-Assembly, First Edition. 

Edited by Nikos Hadjichristidis, Akira Hirao, Yasuyuki Tezuka and Filip Du Prez. 

Therefore, there has been a search for low alternatives for PNIPAM that show similar beneficial properties, namely LCST close to body temperature and a robust phase transition. 

---