A one-step method that converts soybean oil into (acryloylamino)ethyl soyate, a new vinyl monomer of free radical polymerization, was developed. The synthesized monomer combines vinyl double bond (acryloyl functional group) and non-conjugated (isolated) double bonds of fatty acids. The double bond of the acryloyl group is reactive in a free radical chain polymerization that yields linear macromolecules containing isolated double bonds in side chains. Monomer reactivity ratios (r 1 , r 2 ) in copolymerization of the new soybean oil-based acrylic monomer (SBA) with styrene, methyl methacrylate, and vinyl acetate, as well as the Q-e parameters of the SBA, were determined. The obtained results indicate that copolymerization can be described with the classical Mayo-Lewis equation. In terms of polymerizability, the SBA can be classified as an acrylic monomer. The double bonds of the fatty acid chains remain mainly unaffected during the free radical polymerization. The remaining unsaturated fragments in the side chains make the resulting macromolecules capable of further oxidative cross-linking and the development of cross-linked polymer coatings.

Abstract.1 This paper reports on a study of novel heterohydrogel materials with regular inclusions of the dispersed phase such as polystyrene latex nanoparticles. Synthesized 3D hydrogel matrices contain a balanced number of cross-links and a defined amount of polystyrene nanoparticles with 50 or 85 nm in radius. This study has shown that the obtained hydrogel matrices are capable of changing the swelling degree and their optical properties depending on the size and concentration of the dispersed nanoparticles. The results of the performed studies revealed that the synthesized 3D hydrogels are sensitive for even small changes of glucose concentration and therefore are very promising materials for biosensors.

Crystalline-to-amorphous transition of PSA triggers the release of fragrances from cross-linked latex particles at elevated temperatures. The presence of the encapsulated fragrance, as well as the inclusion of amorphous fragments in the polymer network, reduces the particle crystallinity and enhances the release. Release profiles can be tuned by temperature and controlled by the amount of loaded fragrance and the ratio of comonomers in the feed mixture.

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Self-assembled pH-sensitive reactive submicron-sized particles have been developed via intermolecular electrostatic interactions between chitosan and a carboxylated oligoperoxide having poly(ethylene glycol) fragments. The particles have the structure of an ionically crosslinked hydrogel and their size and surface charge depend on the conditions of their formation (i.e., pH and the functional group ratio). The presence of peroxide groups in the oligoperoxide has enabled to synthesize covalently crosslinked pH-sensitive particles.