Synthesis and use of heterogeneous polymer gels

• US 5,976,648 A
• Filed: 12/13/1996
• Issued: 11/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Inventors: Li, Yong, Hu, Zhibing, Zhang, Xiaomin
• Primary Examiner(s): KRASS, FREDERICK F
• Application Number:
  US08/768,163
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 428/420, 428/34.9, 428/515, 428/36.91, 525/218, 523/105, 524/521, 524/522, 524/916
• US Class Current: 428/34.9
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 7/005 Electro-chemical actuators; Actuators having a material for absorbing or desorbing gas, e.g. a metal hydride; Actuators using the difference in osmotic pressure between fluids; Actuators with elements stretchable when contacted with liquid rich in ions, with UV light, with a salt solution
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 7/0121 Electroactive polymers
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 7/06 using expansion or contraction of bodies due to heating, cooling, moistening, drying or the like using thermal expansion of non-vaporising liquids F01K
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 7/0612 using polymers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 524/916 Hydrogel compositions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1328 Shrinkable or shrunk [e.g., due to heat, solvent, volatile agent, restraint removal, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1352 Polymer or resin containing [i.e., natural or synthetic]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1393 Multilayer [continuous layer]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31536 Including interfacial reaction product of adjacent layers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31909 Next to second addition polymer from unsaturated monomers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31913 Monoolefin polymer

Abstract

Disclosed is a heterogeneous polymer gel comprising at least two gel networks. One embodiment of the present invention concerns a heterogeneous polymer gel comprising a first gel network comprising an environmentally-stable gel and a second gel network comprising an environmentally-unstable gel wherein the first gel network interpenetrates the second gel network. The heterogeneous polymer gel exhibits controlled changes in volume in response to environmental changes in condition, such as of temperature or of chemical composition.

Claims

1. A heterogeneous polymer gel having a spatially modulated structure comprising:

a first gel layer comprising an environmentally-stable gel; and

a second gel layer comprising an environmentally-unstable gel.

2. The heterogeneous polymer gel of claim 1 wherein the environmentally-stable gel comprises N-isopropylacrylamide.

3. The heterogeneous polymer gel of claim 2 wherein the environmentally-unstable gel comprises polyacrylamide.

4. The heterogeneous polymer gel of claim 1 wherein the environmentally-stable gel comprises polyacrylamide.

5. The heterogeneous polymer gel of claim 4 wherein the environmentally-unstable gel comprises N-isopropylacrylamide.

6. The heterogeneous polymer gel of claim 1 wherein the first gel layer interpenetrates the second gel layer.

34. A device comprising the heterogeneous polymer gel of claim 1, wherein the device exhibits a change in shape in response to a change in the environment.

35. The device of claim 34, wherein the device comprises an artificial muscle, a drug-delivery device, a chemical valve or actuator, a switch, a gel display device, or a magnetic resonance monitoring agent.

7. A heterogeneous polymer gel comprising a first gel layer comprising an environmentally-stable gel and a second gel layer consisting essentially of an environmentally-unstable gel, wherein a portion of the environmentally-unstable gel interpenetrates a portion of the environmentally-stable gel.

8. The heterogeneous polymer gel of claim 7 wherein the environmentally-stable gel comprises N-isopropylacrylamide.

9. The heterogeneous polymer gel of claim 8 wherein the environmentally-unstable gel comprises polyacrylamide.

10. The heterogeneous polymer gel of claim 7 wherein the environmentally-stable gel comprises polyacrylamide.

11. The heterogeneous polymer gel of claim 10 wherein the environmentally-unstable gel comprises N-isopropylacrylamide.

12. A heterogeneous polymer gel comprising:

a first gel layer consisting essentially of an environmentally-stable gel; and

a second gel layer consisting essentially of an environmentally-unstable gel and an interpenetrating portion of the environmentally-stable gel.

13. The heterogeneous polymer gel of claim 12 wherein the environmentally-stable gel comprises N-isopropylacrylamide.

15. The heterogeneous polymer gel of claim 12 wherein the environmentally-stable gel comprises polyacrylamide.

16. The heterogeneous polymer gel of claim 15 wherein the environmentally-unstable gel comprises N-isopropylacrylamide.

14. The heterogeneous polymer gel of claim 14 wherein the environmentally-unstable gel comprises polyacrylamide.

17. A device comprising a heterogeneous polymer gel having a spatially modulated structure, wherein the heterogeneous polymer gel comprises:

a first gel layer comprising an environmentally-stable gel; and

a second gel layer comprising an environmentally-unstable gel;

wherein the device exhibits a change in shape in response to a change in the environment.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the environmentally-stable gel comprises N-isopropylacrylamide.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein the environmentally-unstable gel comprises polyacrylamide.

20. The device of claim 17, wherein the environmentally-stable gel comprises polyacrylamide.

21. The device of claim 17, wherein the environmentally-unstable gel comprises N-isopropylacrylamide.

22. The device of claim 17, wherein the device is in the form of a strip.

23. The device of claim 17, wherein the device is in the form of a cylinder.

24. The device of claim 17, wherein the environmentally-stable gel comprises N-isopropylacrylamide and the environmentally-unstable gel comprises polyacrylamide.

25. The device of claim 17, wherein the environmentally-stable gel comprises polyacrylamide and the environmentally-unstable gel comprises N-isopropylacrylamide.

26. The device of claim 17, wherein the device comprises an artificial muscle a drug-delivery device, a chemical valve or actuator, a switch, a gel display device, or a magnetic resonance monitoring agent.

27. A device comprising a heterogeneous polymer gel, wherein the heterogeneous polymer gel comprises:

a first gel layer consisting essentially of an environmentally-stable gel; and

a second gel layer consisting essentially of an environmentally-unstable gel and an interpenetrating portion of the environmentally-stable gel.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein the device comprises an artificial muscle, a drug-delivery device, a chemical valve or actuator, a switch, a gel display device, or a magnetic resonance monitoring agent.

29. The device of claim 27, wherein the device is in the form of a strip.

30. The device of claim 27, wherein the device is in the form of a cylinder.

31. The device of claim 27, wherein the environmentally-stable gel comprises N-isopropylacrylamide and the environmentally-unstable gel comprises polyacrylamide.

32. The device of claim 27, wherein the environmentally-stable gel comprises polyacrylamide and the environmentally-unstable gel comprises N-isopropylacrylamide.

33. The device of claim 27, wherein the device exhibits a change in shape in response to a change in the environment.