Zwitterionic or polar lipids that form lamellar phases swell in the presence of water to take up between 10 and 30 water molecules per lipid. The degree of the water uptake depends both on the state of the alkyl chains, liquid or solid, and on the nature of the polar group. The swelling behavior has been extensively characterized on the free-energy level through measuring the relation between t...

We study the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior of associating polymer brushes (i.e., poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)) using classical density functional theory. Without using any empirical or temperature-dependent parameters, we find the phase transition of polymer brushes from extended to collapsed structure with increasing temperature, indicating the LCST behavior of polymer bru...

New approach for preparation of CMC hydrogels was undertaken through reacting CMC with either malic, succinic or citric acid. Characteristics of the hydrogels, as monitored by the swelling behavior, FTIR, SEM, EDX, TEM and XRD were dependent on nature and concentration of the polycarboxylic acid, time and temperature of curing. The best practice achieved from these studies was harnessed to synt...

In this paper, a novel gelatin-based hydrogel was synthesized through crosslinking graft copolymerization of methacrylic acid (MAA) onto gelatin, using ammonium persulfate (APS) as a free radical initiator in the presence of methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinker. A proposed mechanism for hydrogel formation was suggested and the structure of the product was established using FTIR spectro...

Insight in the osmotic behavior of degrading hydrogels is of great importance in the design of biodegradable hydrogels for biomedical applications. This study compares the degradation behavior of PEG-HEMA (hydroxyethylmethacrylated polyethylene glycol) and dex-HEMA (hydroxyethylmethacrylated dextran) hydrogels. The degradation of PEG-HEMA gels takes several months to over a year, while that of ...

Hydrogels of an interpenetrating polymeric network (IPN) composed of the temperaturesensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) and the pH-sensitive poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) were prepared by a sequential UV polymerization method. The IPN hydrogels were characterized for their temperatureand pH-responsive behavior by equilibrium swelling studies, oscillatory swelling studies, and differ...

Intelligent, stimuli-responsive hydrogels have great utility in various fields spanning biomedical technology, separations, and catalysis. Their overall response to surrounding fluids may be further tailored to a specific application by incorporation of one or more intelligent responses within one material, known as multiresponsive hydrogels. This is a report on the facile synthesis and charact...

The safety of lithium-ion batteries has to be guaranteed over the complete lifetime considering geometry changes caused by reversible and irreversible swellings degradation mechanisms. An understanding pressure distribution gradients is necessary optimize battery modules avoid local bearing risk safety-relevant changes. In this study, two fresh pouch cells was measured with an initial preload f...

This letter describes the fabrication of three-dimensional particulate-like hydrogel microstructures using a combination of soft lithography and volume expansion induced self-folding. Bilayer structures are produced by solvent casting and photocuring of liquid resins. They curl into three-dimensional (3D) structures upon contacting with water due to differential swelling of the two layers. The ...