Complexation of poly(ethylene glycol) with poly(ethyl methacrylate-co-N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) gel based on hydrogen bonds

The complexes of poly(ethyl methacrylate-co-N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (P(EMA-co-VP)) gel with poly- (ethylene glycol) (PEG) stabilized by the hydrogen bonds were prepared. It was found that both the concentration and the molecular weight of PEG have a strong effect on the P(EMA-co-VP) gel. When PEG was introduced into the P(EMA-co-VP) gel, the glass transition temperatures (T_g) of the complexes decreases with the decreasing of PEG molecular weight. In such a system, the maximum molecular weight of PEG required for the complex formation is no more than 2000, and P(EMA-co-VP)/PEG complexes are a homogeneous amorphous phase, which was studied by FTIR, XRD, TEM, and DSC.