Effect of Thermo‐ and pH‐Sensitive Block Copolymer Structure and Composition on the Synthesis and Stabilization of Gold Nanoparticles

Abstract

Homopolymers of poly[N‐(2‐(diethylamino)ethyl) acrylamide] exhibit the ability to adsorb onto the surface of preformed or growing gold nanoparticles. The resulting hybrid materials possess a pH and thermo‐sensitive nature. Consequently, their optical properties can be modulated by manipulating either the temperature or the pH. Moreover, introducing monomers based on poly(N‐isopropyl acrylamide) into block or random statistical polymers enables further modulation of the thermosensitive properties. These copolymers, employed for the in‐situ synthesis and/or stabilization of gold nanoparticles, lead to hybrid materials whose properties and/or particle size depend on the polymer composition and microstructure: statistical polymers emerge as superior stabilizing agents compared to their block counterparts at a constant composition.