• Membrane Journal
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.169-172
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• 2010

Silver ions of poly(vinyl chloride)-g-poly(styrene sulfonic acid) (PVC-g-PSSA) graft copolymer were reduced to form silver nanoparticles under thermal condition ($80^{\circ}C$). We were successful in synthesizing silver nanoparticles with various morphologies by changing reaction time. At short reaction times (~1 h), silver nanoparticles with 5 nm in size were formed without disrupting a microphase-separated structure of graft copolymer. At medium reaction times (~5 h), silver nanoparticles were aggregated to form large clusters ranging 30~50 nm in size. At much longer reaction times (~18 h), hurricane-like silver clusters were observed due to strong particle aggregation.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.39-45
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• 2011

An amphiphilic graft copolymer consisting of a poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) backbone and poly(styrene sulfonic acid) (PSSA) side chains (PVC-g-PSSA) was synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). This polymer electrolyte membrane was ion-exchanged to Ag ions by immersing in 10 wt% $AgNO_3$ aqueous solution and templated the growth of Ag nanoparticles by a reducing agent. The formation of Ag nanoparticles was confirmed using UV-visible spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that utilization of $NaBH_4$ was the most effective in the formation of Ag nanoparticles with 10~15 nm in size. The formation of Ag nanoparticles was also strongly affected by the concentration of reducing agent and reduction time.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.87-93
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• 2006

Copolymers composed of hyaluronic acid (HA) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) were prepared to create temperature-sensitive injectable gels for use in controlled drug delivery applications. Semi-telechelic PNIPAAm, with amino groups at the end of each main chain, was synthesized by radical polymerization using 2-aminoethanethiol hydrochloride (AESH) as the chain transfer agent, and was then grafted onto the carboxyl groups of HA using carbodiimide chemistry. The result of the thermo-optical analysis revealed that the phase transition of the PNIPAAm-grafted HA solution occurred at around 30$\∼$33$^{circ}C$. As the graft yield of PNIPAAm onto the HA backbone increased, the HA-g-PNIPAAm copolymer solution exhibited sharper phase transition. The short chain PNIPAAm-grafted HA ($M_{w}$=6,100) showed a narrower temperature range for optical turbidity changes than the long chain PNIPAAm-grafted HA ($M_{w}$=13,100). PNIPAAm-grafted HA exhibited an increase in viscosity above 35$^{circ}C$, thus allowing the gels to maintain their shape for 24 h after in vivo administration. From the in vitro riboflavin release study, the HA-g-PNIPAAm gel showed a more sustained release behavior when the grafting yield of PNIPAAm onto the HA backbone was increased. In addition, BSA released from the PNIPAAm-g-HA gels showed a maximum concentration in the blood 12 h after being injected into the dorsal surface of a rabbit, followed by a sustained release profile after 60 h.