Poly(methyl methacrylate) smart xerogels (PAsp-xgs) crosslinked by polyaspartate side chains were synthesized and the effects of the polyaspartate helix-sense inversion on their properties were investigated. PAsp-xg was found to irreversibly shrink to a volume ratio of 0.7 when heated to ~393 K. The volume shrinkage was suggested to be induced by the helix-sense inversion of the polyaspartates in the hybrid xerogels.
- Yosuke Mizuno
- Hidemine Furuya