Functional molecular gels

A Molecular Theory of Polymer Gels

A new theory for polymer gels is developed on the basis of the single-chain mean-field (SCMF) theory. This theory takes the mesh chain or the star polymer as the characteristic unit of polymer gels, and it allows the study of chain conformation properties for gels in their different states. The preparation condition effect is conveniently described by the current theory, and the gels with compl...

Polyacrylamide gels with electrostatic functional groups for the molecular imprinting of lysozyme

The system of polyacrylamide incorporated with methacrylic acid and 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate was studied for the possibility of imprinting of lysozyme. The results show that approximately 27% (w/w) of the lysozyme template was not able to be extracted from the molecularly imprinted acrylamide polymers. The amount of the lysozyme template able to be extracted was increased by the addi...

Generating controlled molecular gradients in 3D gels.

A new method for producing molecular gradients of arbitrary shape in thin three dimensional gels is described. Patterns are produced on the surface of the gel by printing with a micropump that dispenses small droplets of solution at controlled rates. The molecules in the solution rapidly diffuse into the gel and create a smooth concentration profile that is independent of depth. The pattern is ...

Molecular structures in biopolymers sols and gels

The short range molecular structure of ogarose in the sol state and r-carrageenans in the gel state have been investigated by small-angle neutron scattering (0.1< q(nm'l) < 2.5). Agarose in the sol state possesses a rod-like conformation (minimum persistence length of 14 nm) with a mass per unit length consistent with a single helm The existence of a double helix in the gel state is accordingly...

Functional Polymer Gels by Click- and Supramolecular Chemistry