Water-Intercalated and Humidity-Responsive Lamellar Materials by Self-Assembly of Sodium Acrylate Random Copolymers

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Herein, we report water-intercalated and humidity-responsive lamellar materials obtained from the self-assembly of sodium acrylate (ANa)/alkyl or oleyl acrylate (RA) random copolymers. The random copolymers efficiently absorbed water into the hydrophilic ANa/main chain phase from the outer environment to form lamellar structures consisting of the water-intercalated hydrophilic segments and the hydrophobic side chains. The lamellar formation involves controlling the weight fraction of hydrophilic segments containing water to 40–70 wt % by the RA content, hydrophobic side chains, and the amount of absorbed water. The domain spacing can be controlled in the range of 2–6 nm. More interestingly, the lamellar materials reversibly afford expansion and contraction of the domain spacing in the sub-1 nm level via the absorption and release of water, in response to relative humidity. The multilayered lamellar formation process via the intercalation of water was analyzed in situ by neutron reflectometry and atomic force microscopy measurements under humid conditions. The polymer film further served as a moisture-sensitive actuator that macroscopically induces deformation responsive to humidity.