An innovative approach to use zeolite as crosslinker for synthesis of p(HEMA-co-NIPAM) hydrogel

This study introduced a modified method to synthesize organic-inorganic hybrid crosslinker based on zeolite. First, zeolite nanoparticles were modified with 3-(aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane. Then, the amine-functionalized zeolite has been reacted with the glycidyl methacrylate via an epoxide ring-opening mechanism. The vinyl-functionalized zeolite was applied as a crosslinking agent to form hydrogel network. A novel temperature-sensitive nanocomposite hydrogel was prepared by crosslinking N-isopropylacrylamide as a comonomer and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate as a monomer with free-radical polymerization. Results showed that p(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-N-isopropylacrylamide)/vinyl-functionalized zeolite nanocomposite hydrogel has a chemically crosslinked and porous network structure. The content of crosslinker and monomers had obvious effects on the swelling ratio of the nanocomposite hydrogel. The temperature and salt-sensitive behavior of the hydrogels are also discussed. We offer a multifunctional crosslinker for preparing sensitive materials that can serve biomedical or environmental applications.