Background: Normoxic type MAGICA gel dosimeters are established for dose quantification in three dimensions for radiotherapy. Objective(s): The ability of MAGICA polymer gel was assessed by experimental measurements method for studying the effect of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) in dose enhancement under the external 18MV radiotherapy practices. <...

In this paper, we introduce autonomous gel actuators driven by chemical energy. The polymer gels prepared here have cyclic chemical reaction networks. With a cyclic reaction, the polymer gels generate periodical motion. The periodic motion of the gel is produced by the chemical energy of the oscillatory Belouzov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction. We have succeeded in making synthetic polymer gel move a...

A polymer gel is a soft and wet material capable of undergoing large deformation. A deformed gel, in turn, changes its chemical potential, behaving as an energy transducer. Thus, a polymer gel shows a variety of stimuli-responsive actions, responding to external environmental changes. In this article unique electrical, thermal, and chemical responses of polymer gels are described. Recently obse...

We have fabricated new types of polymer hydrogels and polymer nanocomposites, that is, nanocomposite gels (NC gels) and soft polymer nanocomposites (M-NCs), with novel organic/inorganic network structures. Both NC gels and M-NCs were synthesized by in situ free-radical polymerization in the presence of exfoliated clay platelets in aqueous systems and were obtained in various forms and sizes wit...

As a novel biomimetic polymer, we have developed polymer gels with an autonomous self-oscillating function. This was achieved by utilizing oscillating chemical reactions, called the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction, which is recognized as a chemical model for understanding several autonomous phenomena in biological systems. Under the coexistence of the reactants, the polymer gel undergoes spo...

Self-oscillating polymer gel has become a distinguished class of smart soft materials. Here we fabricated and demonstrated a self-oscillating structural gel network with the incorporation of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction. The structural polymer gel oscillates at a macroscopic level with remarkably faster kinetics compared to a normal gel of similar chemical compositions. The structural...

Purpose: To compare the mucoadhesive performance of grewia polysaccharide gum with those of guar gum, carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and carbopol 971P. Methods: Grewia polysaccharide gum compacts or gels as well as those of guar gum, carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose or carbopol 971P were prepared. Texturometric and tensile analysis of the polymer gels...