Self-assembly of polypyrrole/chitosan composite hydrogels

Hao Huang, Jiao Wu, Xi Lin, Liang Li, Songmin Shang, Marcus Chun Wah Yuen, Guoping Yan

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

73 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Hydrogels based on the polypyrrole (PPy)/chitosan (CS) composite are self-assembled and characterized for their electrical and swelling properties. The static polymerization of pyrrole monomer in aqueous solution containing CS is accompanied with the formation of PPy/CS composite hydrogel. The feed order in the reaction process plays a key role in the formation of the hydrogels. The participation of one-dimensional PPy blocks in the formation of the hydrogel network avoids a possible migration of PPy from the hydrogel. The effect of pH and ionic strength on the physical properties of PPy/CS composite hydrogels are investigated in detail. The results indicate that the pH-sensitive PPy/CS composite hydrogels show good water absorbencies in distilled water and saline solution. This method may open a new opportunity for the fabrication of composite hydrogels associating the biomacromolecules and conducting polymers, and the improvement of the comprehensive performance of the resulting products.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)72-76
Number of pages5
JournalCarbohydrate Polymers
Volume95
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 5 Jun 2013

Keywords

  • Chitosan
  • Composites
  • Hydrogels
  • Polypyrrole
  • Self-assembly

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Organic Chemistry
  • Polymers and Plastics
  • Materials Chemistry

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Self-assembly of polypyrrole/chitosan composite hydrogels'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this