Swelling, mechanical and thermal properties of microwave – synthesized intelligent soft materials
Advances in technology since the second half of the 20th century are followed as well as induced by the development of intelligent materials. These materials are able to respond to external stimuli by measurable changes in structure and intrinsic properties. Stimuli-responsive hydrogels are soft smart materials as they exhibit significant changes in physicochemical properties in response to small external stimuli. Acrylate hydrogels are widely used in applications where their smart and soft nature comes to the fore. Synthesis of those materials by conventional heating is time-consuming and unsuitable from the point of energy and sources saving. Microwave-assisted synthesis is promising method that provides polymerization under the more favourable conditions, reducing the reaction time. The focus of present work was to investigate the swelling behaviour, mechanical and thermal properties of acrylate hydrogels synthesized by microwave heating.