The Effect Acetic Acid has on Poly(N-Vinylcaprolactam) LCST for Biomedical Applications

The aim of this research was to synthesize Poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (PNVCL) with the incorporation of hydrophilic acetic acid with thermosensitive N–vinylcaprolactam for potential drug delivery applications. Preparation of the heterogeneous mixture involved photopolymerization of a combination of N–vinylcaprolactam and acetic acid at different ratios. By altering the feed ratio, hydrogels were synthesized to have lower critical solution temperature close to physiological temperature. This ability to shift the phase transition temperature of PNVCL provides excellent flexibility in tailoring transitions to suit physiological temperature, inheriting great potential in drug delivery.