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The utility and efficacy of thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) hydrogels as smart materials is limited by their physical properties. In this study, we sought to design PNIPAAm nanocomposite hydrogels which displayed enhanced mechanical properties as well as deswelling–reswelling kinetics but without reducing equilibrium swelling or altering the convenient volume phase transition temperature (VPTT) of PNIPAAm. PNIPAAm hydrogels were formed as double networks (DN) comprised of a tightly crosslinked 1st network and a loosely crosslinked 2nd network. In addition, polysiloxane nanoparticles of two different average diameters (~50 nm and ~200 nm) were incorporated during formation of the 1st or 2nd network. The influence of the hydrogel composition on VPTT, morphology, equilibrium swelling, deswelling–reswelling kinetics and mechanical properties was evaluated. We observed that DN hydrogels formed with ~200 nm polysiloxane nanoparticles introduced during formation of the 1st network achieved the best combination of the desired properties.

The conjugation of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with other materials is an excellent strategy for the production of advanced materials having desired properties and so appropriate applicability. In particular, the integration of MOFs with a flexible paper is expected to form valuable materials in separation technology. Here we report a simple method for the generation of MOF papers through the compact and uniform growth of MOF nanoparticles on the cellulose surface of a carboxymethylated filter paper. The resulting MOF papers show a selective capture ability for negatively charged organic dyes and they can be used for dye separation through simple filtration of a dye solution on the MOF papers. In addition, MOF papers can be reused after a simple washing process without losing their effective dye capture ability.

Porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are interesting materials owing to their interesting structural features and their many useful properties and applications. In particular, the structural features are greatly important to optimize the MOFs' porosities and so properties. Indeed, the MOFs' well-developed micropore and high surface area are the most important structural features, and as such, many practical applications of MOFs originate from these structural features. We herein demonstrate a strategy for improving the crystallinity of MOFs, and so increasing the porosity and surface area of poorly crystalline MOFs by making them in core-shell-type hybrids through the induced growth on the well-crystalline template. Although poorly crystalline versions of MOFs generate naturally in the absence of the well-crystalline template, well-crystalline versions of MOFs produce inductively in the presence of the well-crystalline template. In addition, the crystallinity enhancement of MOFs brings together the improvement in their porosities and surface areas. The surface areas and pore volumes of the well-crystalline versions of MOFs produced through the induced growth on the template are calculated based on this study, indicating that MOF surface areas increase by up to 7 times compared to the poorly crystalline versions.