Mechanism of poly( N -isopropylacrylamide) cononsolvency in aqueous methanol solutions explored via oxygen K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

Masanari Nagasaka Fumitoshi Kumaki Yifeng Yao Jun-Ichi Adachi Kenji Mochizuki

Published in: Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP (2024)

The cononsolvency mechanism of poly( N -isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), dissolving in pure methanol (MeOH) and water (H 2 O) but being insoluble in MeOH-H 2 O mixtures, was investigated by O K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The cononsolvency emerges from the aggregation of PNIPAM with MeOH clusters, leading to the collapse of the hydrophobic hydration of PNIPAM.

Keyphrases

high resolution
ionic liquid
single molecule
dual energy
carbon dioxide
solid state
electron microscopy
atomic force microscopy
magnetic resonance