Effect of laponite clay particles on thermal and rheological properties of Pluronic triblock copolymer

The high concentration 17 wt% triblock copolymer poly(ethylene oxide)(100)-poly(propylene oxide)(65)-poly(ethylene oxide)(100) Pluronic F127 aqueous solutions with the addition of laponite is investigated as a novel temperature-sensitive hydrogel system. The critical micelle temperature (cmt) and the sol-to-gel transition were characterized by rheological experiments and differential scanning calorimetry. Experimental results showed that laponite particles have no significant influence on the cmt. On the other hand, viscoelastic measurements have highlighted an increase of the sol-to-gel transition temperature for mixtures with 2 and 3 wt% of laponite particles. This additive can be used to adjust the gelation temperature close to physiological temperature in medical applications.