Ems. Castanheira et al., Study of cationic N-isopropylacrylamide-styrene copolymer latex particles using fluorescent probes, LANGMUIR, 15(20), 1999, pp. 6712-6717
Monodisperse cationically charged core-shell poly[styrene[N-isopropylacryla
mide] latexes, differing in their shell structure, were studied at temperat
ures around the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of polyCN-isopro
pylacrylamide]. Near the LCST, a transition on the latex dimensions was obs
erved by quasi-elastic light scattering measurements. The same transition c
ould also be detected using the intensity ratio of the pyrene fluorescence
vibronic bands, I-1/I-13, and the excimer to monomer fluorescence intensity
ratio of 1,10-bis(1-pyrenyl)decane. The fluorescence spectra and decay cur
ve measurements of 1,10-bis( 1-pyrenyl)decane provided a better understandi
ng of both the hydrophilic-hydrophobic variation and the conformational cha
nges occurring in the poly[N-isopropylacrylamide] shell of the latex partic
les upon temperature variation.