Facile Obtainment of Fluorescent PEG Hydrogels Bearing Pyrene Groups by Frontal Polymerization

Abstract

Frontal polymerization (FP) was used to prepare poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate (PEGMA) fluorescent polymer hydrogels containing pyrenebutyl pendant groups as fluorescent probes. The polymerization procedure was carried out under solvent-free conditions, with different molar quantities of pyrenebutyl methyl ether methacrylate (PybuMA) and PEGMA, in the presence of tricaprylmethylammonium (Aliquat 336®) persulfate as a radical initiator. The obtained PEGPy hydrogels were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, confirming the effective incorporation of the PybuMA monomer into the polymer backbone. The thermal properties of the hydrogels were determined using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). After immersing the hydrogels in deionized water at 25 °C and pH = 7, their swelling behavior was investigated by mass gain at different pH and temperature values. The introduction of PybuMA comonomer into the hydrogel resulted in a decreased swelling ability due to the hydrophobicity of PybuMA. The optical properties of PEGPy were determined by UV-visible absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies. Both monomer and excimer emission bands were observed at 379–397 and 486 nm, respectively, and the fluorescence spectra of the PEGPy hydrogel series were recorded in different solvents to explore the coexistence of monomer and excimer emissions.

Recent Insights about the Role of Gels in Organic Photonics and Electronics

“…Additionally, tuning the refractive index of natural-based gels to match specific optical components or requirements may be challenging due to their batch-to-batch variation [78]. Moreover, the integration of synthetic chemical structures, such as microscopic waveguides, into a macroscopic gel system proves to be a more straightforward task when dealing with synthetic gels (Figure 11) [79] or those exhibiting aggregation-induced emission phenomena, e.g., using a naphthalimide moiety [80]. PEG hydrogels bearing pyrene groups [79].…”

“…Moreover, the integration of synthetic chemical structures, such as microscopic waveguides, into a macroscopic gel system proves to be a more straightforward task when dealing with synthetic gels (Figure 11) [79] or those exhibiting aggregation-induced emission phenomena, e.g., using a naphthalimide moiety [80]. PEG hydrogels bearing pyrene groups [79]. The introduction of pyrene fluorophore gave a notable impact in the thermal properties of the hybrid hydrogels.…”

“…Other options include the in-Figure 11. PEG hydrogels bearing pyrene groups [79]. The introduction of pyrene fluorophore gave a notable impact in the thermal properties of the hybrid hydrogels.…”

“…In this case, Hg 2+ ions can penetrate the hydrogel network through diffusion and interact with CDs (Figure 12a) [86]. Other options include the incorporation of a pyrene fluorophore into PEG hydrogels, resulting in hydrogels exhibiting outstanding fluorescent properties [79], or the combination of various monomers such as PEG and PNIPAAm. These hydrogels also demonstrated pH-responsive and thermo-responsive behaviors, holding great promise for a wide range of applications, including chemical and environmental sensing [87].…”