Smart functional microgels hold great potential in a variety of applications,especially in drug transportation.However,current drug carriers based on physiological internal stimuli cannot efficiently orientate to designated locations.Therefore,it is necessary to introduce the self-propelled particles to the drug release of the microgels.In order to study self-propulsion of microgels induced by light,it is also a challenge to prepare micronsized microgels so that they can be observed directly under optical microscopes.In this work,phototactic microgels with photoresponsive properties are prepared.The microgel particles can be observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy.The photoresponsive properties of microgels are fully investigated by various instruments.Light can also regulate the state of the microgel solution,making it switch between turbidity and clarity.The phototaxis of particles irradiated by UV light was studied,which may be used for microgels enrichment and drug transportation and release.
The issues of low crystallinity and slow crystallization rate of poly(lactic acid)(PLA)have been widely addressed.In this work,we find that doping PLA with Zn(Ⅱ)ions can speed up the process of crystallization of PLA.Three kinds of Zn(Ⅱ)salts(ZnCl2,ZnSt and ZnOAc)were tested in comparison with some other ions such as Mg(Ⅱ)and Ca(Ⅱ).The increased crystallinity and crystallization rate of PLA doping with Zn(Ⅱ)are reflected in FT-IR and variable temperature Raman spectroscopy.The crystallinity is further confirmed or measured with differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction.The crystallinity rate of the PLA/ZnSt-0.4 wt%material can reach 22.46% and the crystallinity rate of the PLA/ZnOAc-0.4 wt%material can reach 24.83%,as measured with differential scanning calorimetry.
