C. Gong, Ka‐Leung Wong, M. Lam
Jan 11, 2008
Citations
2
Influential Citations
122
Citations
Quality indicators
Journal
Chemistry of Materials
Abstract
A water-soluble azobenzene-containing functional monomer 4-[(4-methacryloyloxy)phenylazo] benzenesulfonic acid (MAPASA) was developed for the fabrication of a photoresponsive molecularly imprinted hydrogel material that can function in the biocompatible aqueous media. Cross-linking the functional monomer with various bisacrylamide and bismethacrylamide cross-linkers produced polyacrylamide hydrogels with enough optical transparency in the aqueous media for spectroscopic characterization and measurements. Paracetamol, (N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)acetamide), a common analgesic and antipyretic drug, was adopted as the molecular template for the imprinting. Reorientation of the hydrated sulfonated azobenzene chromophores in the course of their trans−cis photoisomerization was found to be sterically demanding. When incorporated into the relatively confined and rigid hydrogel environment generated by the most commonly adopted polyacrylamide cross-linker, N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (1-C), these chromophores were not ab...