Ian Soutar

TL;DR: In this article, the effects of altering the hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance in a series of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM)/N,N-dimethylacrylide (DMAC) statistical copolymers upon the smart thermal responses of these systems in dilute aqueous solution were studied.

TL;DR: In this paper, fluorescence techniques, including quenching and time-resolved anisotropy measurements (TRAMS) on ultra-dilute (10−3 ) aqueous solutions of an acenaphthylene labelled sample, provide conclusive evidence that a coil collapse mechanism is implicated in the thermoreversible behavior: the polymer undergoes a conformational switch from an open coil below 32°C to a compact, globular structure above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST).

TL;DR: In this paper, the conformational behavior of poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) in dilute (10 -3 wt % in polymer) aqueous solution was studied.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a comprehensive investigation of the conformational switch of poly(methacrylic acid) using techniques which report on various length scales: fluorescence energy transfer experiments provide unique information on the nanometer length scale while dynamic light scattering (DLS) offers an insight into longer range interactions involved in the transition.

TL;DR: In this article, the effects of hydrophobic modification upon the thermoresponsive behavior of NIPAM-based polymers have been studied using time-resolved (fluorescence) anisotropy (TRAMS).