Preparation of comb-type N-isopropylacrylamide hydrogel beads and their application for size-selective separation media

A series of the comb-type poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (NIPAM) gel beads were prepared by inverse suspension polymerization techniques. The comb-type NIPAM gel beads exhibited large volume change at 30 °C, and their deswelling rate, defined as the time required for half-shrinking, was 10 times faster than that of the normal-type NIPAM gel beads: The gel beads were utilized to concentrate dilute aqueous solutions of albumin, γ-globulin, and vitamin B₁₂. The separation efficiencies of albumin and γ -globulin with the comb-type NIPAM gel were 80% and 85%, respectively. Whereas those with normal-type NIPAM gel were 55% and 60%, respectively. The incorporation of grafted chains into gel makes the effective mesh size smaller. Therefore it induces the additional obstruction effects between the solutes and network and excludes the high molecular weight solutes. After they have extracted water, their rapid deswelling property makes the gel regenerate effectively by warming to release the absorbed water.