ABSTRACT
References.............................................................................................................132
Several nonionic water-soluble polymers, such as poly(
N
-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM),
poly(
N
-vinylcaprolactam) (PVCL),
and poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME),
show temperature-dependent solubility in water. The structure of
these polymers typically shows a delicate balance between hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties, and therefore even small changes in temperature can trigger drastic changes in the hydration layer.
