Mussel-Inspired Thermosensitive Polydopamine-graft-Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Coating for Controlled-Release Fertilizer

Abstract

A thermoresponsive release multi-element compound fertilizer was first reported on the basis of a polydopamine-graft-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) bilayer coated on a salty core by a combination of dopamine chemistry and surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization techniques, and the control of nutrient release in response to the environmental temperature was investigated. The successful synthesized stimuli-responsive fertilizers were confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The release of elements from fertilizer was determined by an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) emission spectrometer. The thermosensitive fertilizers exhibit outstanding stimuli-responsive permeability to encapsulated nutrients, and the release rate of coated elements can be tailored by the ambient temperature. They can release nutrients easily at T < lower critical solution temperature (LCST) but slow at T > LCST. This strategy of grafting thermoresponsive polymer brushes on polydopamine (Pdop)-coated substrates is useful to prepare a stimuli-responsive release system, which can adjust the release rate according to different conditions, and will be effective and promising in the research and development of a stimuli-sensitive controlled-release system.

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) modified polydopamine as a temperature-responsive surface for cultivation and harvest of mesenchymal stem cells

“…6 PNIPAAm surface has been produced onto polydopamine coated surface using surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) for making controlled release of fertilizers. 22 Although the thickness of the PNIPAAm surface can be well controlled using SI-ATRP, 23, 24 the metal catalyst used in SI-ATRP is difficult to remove. This may cause cell toxicity problem during the cultivation of fastidious hMSCs.…”

Mussel‐Inspired Polymer Carpets: Direct Photografting of Polymer Brushes on Polydopamine Nanosheets for Controlled Cell Adhesion

“…By etching the Si substrate with HF, the PDA layer can be detached from its substrate and a 2D PDA nanosheet can be formed and transferred to any other substrates. There are several reports on grafting polymer brushes on PDA‐functionalized substrates, however none have reported the utilization of PDA nanosheets as a functional surface for directly grafting polymer brushes.…”

A Review of the Latest in Phosphorus Fertilizer Technology: Possibilities and Pragmatism

“…Materials can also be manufactured to make coatings that are responsive to environmental stimuli. Ma et al (2013) explored the development of a thermosensitive coating composed of polydopamine‐ graft ‐poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide). Normally, as soil solution temperatures increase, the amount of nutrient to cross the coating barrier increases as a result of accelerated chemical kinetics.…”