Temperature sensitive hybrid microgels loaded with ZnO nanoparticles

We report on a generic approach for the preparation of ZnO loaded temperature sensitive hybrid microgels with structural hierarchy. The synthetic process involves controlled hydrolysis of Zn(CH(3)COO)(2)center dot 2H(2)O salt in the presence of poly(N-vinylcaprolactam- co-acetoacetoxyethylmethacrylate) (PVCL-AAEM) microgel templates in 2-propanol. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron mapping image (EMI) analysis have been employed to prove the presence of ZnO nanoparticles inside the polymeric templates. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements reveal that hybrid microgels display a temperature sensitivity similar to the pure template particles, even at a high loading of ZnO nanoparticles. Changes in size, morphology and physical properties of hybrid microgels as a function of the loading amount of ZnO nanoparticles have been discussed. We demonstrate that these nanostructured materials can effectively be used as transparent UV-shielding materials. In addition, these submicrometre-size hybrid microgels could be applied in the fields of optoelectronic devices, UV-detectors, and photocatalysts.