The shear response of polymer brushes is explored as a function of grafting surface curvature using the Alexander-deGennes ansatz, where the free ends of the chains are localized at the tip of the brush and all tethered chains in the brush are stretched equally. Brushes adsorbed onto the concave and convex surfaces of a cylinder are found to swell to a maximum of 35% of their nonsheared brush h...

Monochromatic light microscopy at 435 mmicro shows in Euglena gracilis, the distribution of chlorophyll and the general orientation and geometry of chloroplasts in vivo. In addition it discloses, in swelling chloroplasts, a lamellar pigmented structure. Changes in this structure are observed in extruded swollen chloroplasts treated with lipolytic or proteolytic enzymes. Lipolytic enzymes produc...

Enzymatically crossliked gelatin hydrogel was submitted to two different drying methods: air drying and freeze drying. The resulting polymeric tridimensional arrangement (compact or porous, respectively) led to different thermal and swelling properties. Significant differences (p < 0.05) on thermal and mechanical characteristics as well as swelling in non-enzymatic gastric and intestinal simula...

A novel crosslinker [4,4'-dihydroxybiphenyl diacrylate (44BDA)] was developed, and a series of temperature-responsive hydrogels were synthesized through free radical polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) with 44BDA. The temperature-responsive behavior of the resulting gels was characterized by swelling studies, and the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the hydrogels was c...

The swelling and shrinking behaviors of a series of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) hydrogels are studied in aqueous solutions of sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS). Between 0 and 3 mol % 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid sodium salt (AMPS) is used as an ionic comonomer in the hydrogel synthesis. It is shown that the collapsed PNIPA gels in water at 52°C start to swell above a cr...

As a fundamental step towards creating a new class of cellulose engineering materials, the proposed research investigated swelling and dissolution of cellulose in NaOH aqueous solvent systems (NaOH/H2O, NaOH/thiourea/H2O and NaOH/thiourea/urea/H2O). The dependence of swelling and dissolution behavior of cellulose fibers on the quality of the solvent was investigated in detail. For the two cellu...

We consider a ubiquitous scenario where a fluctuating, semipermeable vesicle is embedded in solution while enclosing a fixed number of solute particles. The swelling with increasing number of particles or decreasing concentration of the outer solution exhibits a continuous phase transition from a fluctuating state to the maximum-volume configuration, whereupon appreciable pressure difference an...

The synthesis and photoluminescence properties of crystal crosslinked gels (CCGs) with an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) active crosslinker derived from tetraphenylethene (TPE) is discussed in this article. The CCG was prepared from a metal organic framework (MOF) with large pore aperture to allow the penetration of TPE crosslinker. The obtained CCG possessed a rectangular shape originated ...

The aim of functional tissue engineering is to repair and replace tissues that have a biomechanical function, i.e., connective orthopaedic tissues. To do this, it is necessary to have accurate benchmarks for the elastic, permeability, and swelling (i.e., biphasic-swelling) properties of native tissues. However, in the case of the intervertebral disc, the biphasic-swelling properties of individu...