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Herculean Hydrogels
The latest mechanical and mechanics research into hydrogels.
Good day to our readers,
Today’s edition features the mechanical properties of hydrogels.
Hydrogels have fascinating mechanical properties because they’re neither solid nor liquid. Recall the texture of jello, disposable contact lenses and animal cartilage in meat. These materials are easily deformed by our hand, yet they do not “melt” into liquid when left on the desk.
We call this behavior viscoelasticity - a combination of viscous (liquid-like) and elastic (solid-like).
The papers linked and summarized below partially touch on these concepts.
I’m also considering writing a Twitter thread on viscoelasticity targeted at the layperson so more people appreciate the unique mechanics of hydrogels. Let me know if you think this would be useful. And of course remember to follow my Twitter profile to not miss it!
In Brief
Three research papers related to hydrogel viscoelasticity
Research Updates
Highly extended DN hydrogels exhibit abnormal inverse mechanical-swelling coupling such as extension-induced deswelling and drying-induced softening.
Theoretical hyperelastic and swelling models were established that reproduced all the complicated mechanical and swelling trends of the highly deformed DN hydrogels.
These models were able to accurately describe the inverse mechanical-swelling coupling observed in these materials, which is a behavior that is beyond the prediction scope of classical models such as the neo-Hookean model.
These findings contribute to the understanding of the mechanics of rubber-like materials up to their ultimate deformation and fracture limit.
Organogelators are molecules that can self-assemble into a three-dimensional network, trapping solvent molecules within the network to form a gel.
A wormlike micelle-mediated gel (W-SMG) exhibited a higher stress than a spherical micelle-mediated gel (S-SMG).
W-SMG formed a denser and more uniform gel network than S-SMG when subjected to strong shearing.
W-SMG was found to be a viscoelastic material coexisting with a structure having a short relaxation time derived from the gel network and a long relaxation time derived from the wormlike micelle.
Fabrication of a polymer-protein hydrogel consisting of polymethacrylamide (PMAAm) and bovine serum albumin (BSA), prepared by in situ polymerization of methacrylamide in the presence of BSA at elevated temperatures.
BSA acts as a cross-linker of polymer chains due to its specific interactions between corresponding functional groups.
The hydrogel with optimized composition and preparation conditions demonstrated excellent mechanical properties.
Presence of side amide groups in PMAAm decreased the energy barrier required for heat-induced transformation of globular BSA structures into unfolded linear structures, causing a significant shift in the transition temperature.
This transition led to a steep and substantial strengthening of the two-component hydrogel.
Has potential to improve the bioactivity and biocompatibility of hydrogels, making them more suitable for various applications such as tissue engineering, drug delivery, wound healing, sensors, and bioimplants.
Image Of The Day
Strong currents surge within a once-stable gel orb. Artist impression.
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