PAM-PAA microgel inverse opal photonic crystal and pH response

The colloidal crystal template or opal with a closed-packed face-centered cubic (fcc) lattice was prepared from monodisperse polystyrene (PS) spheres by vertical sedimentation. The template provided void space for infiltration of monomer precursor composed of acrylate acid, acrylamide and ammonium persulfate, as well as microgel from the subsequent copolymerization. The sample was immersed in dimethylbenzene for completely removing PS spheres to form PAM inverse opal hydrogels (IOHPAM) or PAM/PAA inverse opal hydrogels (IOHPAM/PAA) photonic crystals. The PS spheres were replaced by air spheres, which interconnected each other through the windows. The study of responses to pH show that there are two peaks for both IOHPAM and IOHPAM/PAA films, but the IOHPAM/PAA peaks shift to higher pH, and the peaks are independent with the AA content.