Photothermally triggered fast responding hydrogels incorporating a hydrophobic moiety for light-controlled microvalves

Iron oxide nanoparticles dispersed within a thermally responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) hydrogel matrix effectively convert the photo energy of visible light of modest intensity into thermal energy, providing the efficient means to trigger changes in volumetric swelling of hydrogels. However, long irradiation time (on the order of minutes) and modest volume change limit their applications that need fast response and/or large volume change. In this work, we found that the degree of volume change triggered by light could be maximized by adjusting the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the hydrogels. On the basis of the evidence in this investigation, we can develop highly responsive hydrogels that show rapid and significant light-induced volume change, which could be achieved by incorporating a hydrophobic N,N-diethylacrylamide moiety in the PNIPAm network. This enhanced responsiveness led to the successful application of this material in a remote-controllable microvalve for microfluidic devices operated by light illumination within a few seconds.