Complexes of polymeric acids and short polyamines as binary stimulus-sensitive systems

Abstract

Stimulus-sensitive polymers are of great interest due to their unusual properties in solution and diverse applications. Copolymers with different groups (hydrophilic, hydrophobic and ionizable) are typical stimulus-sensitive polymers, and varying the copolymer composition allows the pH and thermal sensitivity to be adjusted for a particular application. We found that complexes of polymeric acids with short methylated polyamines having trimethylene insertions between amine groups exhibit stimulus-sensitive properties in aqueous media at moderate pH and temperature. The position of the lower critical temperature of the solution depends on the ratio of polyacid to polyamine and on the pH. The complex of poly(acrylic acid) and pentaamine was found to be electrosensitive: exposure to an electric field with reversible polarity (8 Hz) led to precipitation of the polymer. These binary stimulus-sensitive compositions consist of two simple substances and are a promising alternative to copolymer-based systems, since the adjustment of properties does not require the synthesis of new substances and expensive toxicological studies in the case of biomedical applications.