pNIPAM/Alginate ferrogels as soft actuators for the thermoresponsive release of organic probes under high-frequency alternating magnetic fields

IF 3.9 3区材料科学 Q2 MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Journal of Materials Science Pub Date : 2025-09-15 DOI:10.1007/s10853-025-11382-8

Denisse Jara, Roxana Coppola, Pedro Mendoza-Zélis, Gabriel Omar Ybarra, Pablo Tancredi

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Abstract

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM)-based ferrogels are promising materials for remote-controlled release applications as they combine the thermoresponsive deswelling ability of pNIPAM with the magnetic heating capacity of magnetic nanoparticles. A key challenge in developing such systems is understanding how these ferrogels interact with potential drugs or analogous molecules to create effective delivery systems with controlled release profiles. In this study, we prepared and characterized a thermosensitive ferrogel composed of pNIPAm/Alginate and magnetic nanoparticles, and we investigated the release profile of two probe molecules via remote magnetic activation. Using methylene blue (cationic) and methyl orange (anionic) as model substances, we found that the absorption behavior of the ferrogel toward each molecule depends significantly on its electrical charge, with electrostatic interactions between the alginate and the probes being the main cause for these differences. We confirmed that the ferrogels deswell to nearly 15% of their original size after experiencing an increase in temperature, either in a heated bath or under the influence of an alternating magnetic field. In both cases, the deswelling process was accompanied by the release of the loaded molecules. The release profiles were similar for both heating methods and were influenced by the initial amount of the substance adsorbed by the gel. For the cationic substance, modifying the pH of the medium improved the release profile. These results highlight the potential of these ferrogels as stimuli-responsive systems for remote-controlled release applications.

Graphical abstract

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pNIPAM/海藻酸铁凝胶作为高频交变磁场下有机探针热响应释放的软致动器

聚n -异丙基丙烯酰胺（pNIPAM）基铁凝胶结合了pNIPAM的热响应溶胀能力和磁性纳米颗粒的磁性加热能力，是一种很有前途的远程控制释放材料。开发此类系统的一个关键挑战是了解这些铁蛋白如何与潜在药物或类似分子相互作用，以创建具有控制释放特征的有效递送系统。在本研究中，我们制备了一种由pNIPAm/海藻酸盐和磁性纳米颗粒组成的热敏铁凝胶，并对其进行了表征，并研究了两种探针分子通过远程磁激活的释放谱。使用亚甲基蓝（阳离子）和甲基橙（阴离子）作为模型物质，我们发现铁凝胶对每个分子的吸收行为在很大程度上取决于其电荷，海藻酸盐和探针之间的静电相互作用是造成这些差异的主要原因。我们证实，无论是在加热浴中还是在交变磁场的影响下，温度升高后，铁凝胶会缩小到原来大小的近15%。在这两种情况下，溶胀过程都伴随着负载分子的释放。两种加热方法的释放曲线相似，并且受凝胶吸附物质的初始量的影响。对于阳离子物质，改变介质的pH可以改善其释放特性。这些结果突出了这些铁凝胶作为远程控制释放应用的刺激响应系统的潜力。图形抽象

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来源期刊

Journal of Materials Science 工程技术-材料科学：综合

CiteScore

7.90

自引率

4.40%

发文量

1297

审稿时长

2.4 months

期刊介绍： The Journal of Materials Science publishes reviews, full-length papers, and short Communications recording original research results on, or techniques for studying the relationship between structure, properties, and uses of materials. The subjects are seen from international and interdisciplinary perspectives covering areas including metals, ceramics, glasses, polymers, electrical materials, composite materials, fibers, nanostructured materials, nanocomposites, and biological and biomedical materials. The Journal of Materials Science is now firmly established as the leading source of primary communication for scientists investigating the structure and properties of all engineering materials.