Control of the Coil‐to‐Globule Transition and Ultrahigh Mechanical Properties of PNIPA in Nanocomposite Hydrogels

Polymer clay for chemists: High strengths and high fracture energies of polymeric hydrogels have been demonstrated by incorporating a substantial amount of nanodispersed inorganic clay during the in situ free-radical polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide. By varying the amount of clay used, mechanical properties as well as the swelling and transparency of the nanocomposite (NC) could be controlled (see picture; NC20 contains more clay than NC5).