Preparation of the individual compact single-chain globular particulates of Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)

The compact single-chain (SC) particulates of Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), which have been formed above its lower critical solution temperature in an aqueous solution containing the surfactant of sodium n-dodecyl sulfate (SDS), were recovered from the solution by freeze-drying. Under scanning electron microscopy, the compact particulate appears as a spherical or elliptical particulate individually dispersed in SDS, which acts as a solid solvent to prevent agglomeration. The conformation of the compact SC particulates of PNIPAM dispersed in SDS had been studied by the solid-state high-resolution ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The ¹³C spin-lattice relaxation time T₁ of the SC sample was determined in comparison with that of the original one. It was found that the T₁ of the methyl carbon in the isopropyl group of the SC sample was about 45% higher than that in the original multichain sample, which revealed the differences in the motion of the methyl group in the different condensed states and illuminated the characteristic conformation of the compact SC globular particulates of PNIPAM.