A study of conductive hydrogel composites of pH-responsive microgels and carbon nanotubes.

Conductive gel composites are attracting considerable attention because of their interesting electrical and mechanical properties. Here, we report conductive gel composites constructed using only colloidal particles as building blocks. The composites were prepared from mixed dispersions of vinyl-functionalised pH-responsive microgel particles (MGs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs).

Mapping water uptake in organic coatings using AFM-IR.

The long-term failure of seemingly intact corrosion resistant organic coatings is thought to occur via the development of ionic transport channels, which spontaneously evolve from hydrophilic regions on immersion, i.e., as a result of localized water uptake.

A study of physical and covalent hydrogels containing pH-responsive microgel particles and graphene oxide.

In this study we mixed low concentrations of graphene oxide (GO) with microgel (MG) particles and formed composite doubly cross-linked microgels (DX MG/GO) gels. The MG particles comprised poly(ethyl acrylate-co-methacrylic acid-co-1,4-butanediol diacrylate) with pendant glycidyl methacrylate units. The MG/GO mixed dispersions formed physical gels of singly cross-linked MGs (termed SX MG/GO), which were subsequently heated to produce DX MG/GO gels by free-radical reaction.