Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/M84268/02
Title:	SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERISATION AND MOLECULAR BEHAVIOUR OF THERMORESPONSIVE POLYMERS OF NOVEL TOPOGRAPHIES
Principal Investigator:	Swanson, Dr L
Other Investigators:	Rimmer, Professor S
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:	University of Melbourne
Department:	Chemistry
Organisation:	University of Sheffield
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	01 October 2000	Ends:	30 September 2003	Value (£):	145,443
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Materials Characterisation Materials Synthesis & Growth
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Manufacturing Chemicals Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
Poly (N-isopropylacrylamide), PNIPAM, undergoes a conformational switch from open coil to compact globular structure at 32 degrees Celsius (the lower critical solution temperature, LCST) which promotes use of PNIPAM in many industrial applications. We, and others, have shown that alteration of the PNIPAM in many industrial applications. We and others, have shown that alteration of the hydrophobic to hyrophilic balance of the polymer can alter the onset temperature of the thermoreversible transition. Clearly, extensive use of such modified species might be envisaged, were it not for the fact that simple modification of PNIPAM serves to markedly reduce the magnitude of the transition. In order to modify PNIPAM without such reduction in effect, graft copolymers, including fluorescently labelled samples, will be synthesised containing (I) a dimethylacrylamide, DMAC, backbone with NIPAM grafts or arms ii) DMAC side chains and a NIPAM backbone and iii) a NIPAM backbone with NIPAM arms. Inthese systems, variation of LCST will be effected by 'entropic control'. Following complete characferisation of these novel macromolecular species, using chromatographic/viscometric techniques and MALDI-TOF spectrometry, the effects of varying polymer topography upon the onset, magnitude and dispersion of the LCST will be examined: Fluorescence techniques will be used to study, directly, both the effects of polymer architecture and the hydropohobic to hydrophilic balance on the macromolecular dynamics.
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Organisation Website:	http://www.shef.ac.uk