ELABORATION OF GOLD NANOPARTICLES IN THERMOSENSITIVES HYDROGELS

Abstract

In this research was studied the feasibility of making gold nanoparticles within thermosensitive hydrogels which were made from N-isopropylacrylamide and macromonomers of 2-oxazolines. The hydrogels contained carboxylic acid groups, which were transformed into thiol groups which were later complexed with auric ions. The auric ions were reduced and gold nanoparticles (NP-Au) were obtained. In hydrogels, with and without NP-Au, was determined that the water-absorbing capacity of the hydrogel increases with the increase of macromonomer content in its structure. Likewise, both hydrogels showed sensitivity to temperature, contracting its volume as it increased. As the macromonomer content in the hydrogel increases this contraction is obtained at higher temperatures and at higher intensity. The UV/Visible spectroscopy characterization of the Hydrogels with NP-Au showed a absorption at 520 nm, which is characteristic of the plasmon of gold nanoparticles. The SEM electron microscopy scanning showed the presence of gold nanoparticles within the hydrogels in a range of sizes from 5 to 200 nm .