Chen Lie, Yao Xi, Gu Zhandong, Zheng Kaikai, Zhao Chuangqi, Lei Wenwei, Rong Qinfeng, Lin Ling, Wang Jiaobing, Jiang Lei, Liu Mingjie
Key Laboratory of Bio-Inspired Smart Interfacial Science and Technology of Ministry of Education , School of Chemistry and Environment , Beihang University , Beijing , 100191 , P. R. China . Email:
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences , Kavli Institute for Nanobio Science and Technology , Harvard University , Cambridge , 02138 MA , USA.
Chem Sci. 2017 Mar 1;8(3):2010-2016. doi: 10.1039/c6sc04634g. Epub 2016 Nov 16.
The diffusion and transport of substances between a hydrogel and its environment have received tremendous research interest, due to the wide range of applications of hydrogel materials in fields related to drug carriers and drug delivery vehicles. To date, much research has been done to tailor the diffusion and transport of substances through hydrogels, where most efforts were focused on tuning the 3D network properties of the hydrogel including loop size, hydrophobicity of building blocks and the stimuli-responsive properties of backbones. These conventional strategies, however, usually suffer from complicated fabrication procedures and result in a homogeneous increase in hydrophobicity of the hydrogel network, leading to low efficiency control over the diffusion of substances through the hydrogel. Herein, a facile strategy that can functionalize the surfaces of hydrogels, while keeping the interior network unchanged, was reported, and is realized by quaternization reaction confined to the hydrogel/oil interface. Owing to the introduction of the photo-responsive molecule IBSP as a modifier, the surface wettability of the resulting hydrogel can be controlled by light both in air and underwater environments. Consequently, the diffusion rate of a substance through this modified hydrogel can be regulated by light, which brings convenience to the controlled release of hydrogels and other hydrogel-related fields.
由于水凝胶材料在药物载体和药物递送载体等相关领域有着广泛的应用，水凝胶与其环境之间物质的扩散和传输受到了极大的研究关注。迄今为止，人们已经开展了大量研究来调控物质通过水凝胶的扩散和传输，其中大部分工作集中在调节水凝胶的三维网络性质，包括环尺寸、构建单元的疏水性以及主链的刺激响应特性。然而，这些传统策略通常存在制备过程复杂的问题，并且会导致水凝胶网络的疏水性均匀增加，从而降低了对物质通过水凝胶扩散的控制效率。在此，报道了一种简便的策略，该策略可以在保持内部网络不变的情况下使水凝胶表面功能化，这是通过限制在水凝胶/油界面的季铵化反应实现的。由于引入了光响应分子IBSP作为改性剂，所得水凝胶的表面润湿性在空气和水下环境中均可通过光来控制。因此，物质通过这种改性水凝胶的扩散速率可以通过光来调节，这为水凝胶的控释及其他与水凝胶相关的领域带来了便利。
