Highly Swellable, Dual-Responsive Hydrogels Based on PNIPAM and Redox Active Poly(ferrocenylsilane) Poly(ionic liquid)s: Synthesis, Structure, and Properties

Highly swellable, dual-responsive hydrogels, consisting of thermo-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and redox-responsive poly(ferrocenylsilane) (PFS) based poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) are formed by photo-polymerization. PFS chains bearing cross-linkable vinylimidazolium (VIm) side groups are copolymerized with NIPAM in aqueous solutions under ultraviolet light (λ = 365 nm) in the presence of a photoinitiator. The PFS-PILs serve as a macro-cross-linker and also provide redox responsiveness. The swelling ratio, morphology, and lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the hydrogels are studied as a function of the PNIPAM/PFS ratio. The value of the LCST is dependent on the choice of the counterion of the PIL and the PNIPAM/PFS ratio. The hydrogel is employed as a reducing environment for the in situ fabrication of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), forming AuNP-hydrogel composites. The localized surface plasmon resonance peak of the as-synthesized Au nanoparticles inside the hydrogel could be tuned by altering the temperature