The thermosensitive micellization of dextran-g-PNIPAAm in aqueous solutions has been investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscope. The formed polymeric micelles showed different diameters of about 20 nm or 100 nm, when the solution temperature was below or above the phase transition temperature.
Interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) composed of silk sericin (SS) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) was prepared. The morphology of the IPNs, in which the SS phase was stained with ammonium cuprate, was examined with TEM and a relative homogeneous distribution of the two polymers was exhibited. The swelling behavior of the IPN hydrogels showed both temperature and pH dependences.