Synthesis of functionalized polyacrylamides containing azo linkages

JIMENA S.TUNINETTI; MIRIAM C.STRUMIA; CESAR A.BARBERO; MARIA C.MIRAS

Rio de Janeiro

Simposio; 41 st International Symposium on Macromolecules; 2006

Smart hydrogels are interesting materials for biomedical applications. Radical initiated chain polymerization of acrylamides is a simple method to produce crosslinked hydrogels. The incoroporation of azo linkages, either in the crosslink or in pendant groups, introduce novel properties to the hydrogels such as photoisomerization and/or enzymatic degradation. The later could be used to build bacterially driven drug release systems. In the present communication, the synthesis of functionalized acrylamide monomers is described. The monomers are synthesiszed by coupling of diazonium salts with N-phenylacrylamide. In that way, the polymers should contain azo linkages. Of special interest are diazonium salts based on aromatic amine dendrons. Those structures render high interaction of the polymer with solvents. The monomers are polymerized by radical polymerization using redox and thermal initiatiors. Homopolymerization, copolymerization with acrylamide and crosslinking of simple acrylamides is achieved using the functionalized acrylamide monomers.