Journal of Materials Science, Vol.54, No.13, 10009-10023, 2019
Glucose-responsive nanostructured hydrogels with enhanced elastic and swelling properties
Phenylboronic acids (PBAs) have gained considerable interest in recent years due to their recognition for diol-containing molecules such as glucose. Their response to the elevated glucose concentrations can be reported by measuring the change in the size or optical properties of polymers-bearing PBAs. In this context, fast response and good mechanical properties are crucial factors for constructing glucose-responsive sensors. Toward this goal, we have synthesized glucose-responsive nanostructured gels (NSGs) using 3-acrylamidophenylboronic acid and N-isopropylacrylamide. Herein, activated nanogels with controllable size were prepared and used as nano-cross-linkers. The prepared NSGs showed glucose-responsiveness in a remarkable concentration-dependent manner, exhibited high elasticity upon compression and slicing and resisted high level of deformation such as bending, twisting and stretching.