Confinement of Thermoresponsive Hydrogels in Nanostructured Porous Silicon Dioxide Templates

A thermoresponsive hydrogel, poly( N ‐isopropylacrylamide) (poly(NIPAM)), is synthesized in situ within an oxidized porous Si template, and the nanocomposite material is characterized. Infiltration of the hydrogel into the interconnecting nanoscale pores of the porous SiO 2 host is confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. The optical reflectivity spectrum of the nanocomposite hybrid displays Fabry–Pérot fringes characteristic of thin film...