Pogostin, Brett H.; Linse, Sara; Olsson, Ulf
Fibril Charge Affects α-Synuclein Hydrogel Rheological Properties
In this paper, we have investigated the interactions between ?-synuclein fibrils at different pH values and how this relates to hydrogel formation and gel properties. Using a combination of rheology, small-angle X-ray scattering, Raman spectroscopy, and cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) experiments, we have been able to investigate the relationship between…
Mechanical Properties and Failure Behavior of Physically Assembled Triblock Copolymer Gels with Varying Midblock Length
Mishra, Satish; Prado, Rosa M. Badani; Zhang, Song; Lacy, Thomas E.; Gu, Xiaodan; Kundu, Santanu
Mechanical properties including the failure behavior of physically assembled gels or physical gels are governed by their network structure. To investigate such behavior, we consider a physical gel system consisting of poly(styrene)-poly(isoprene)-poly(styrene) in mineral oil. In these gels, the endblock (PS) molecular weights are not significantly different, whereas, the midblock…
The Influence of Structure and Morphology on Ion Permeation Behaviour in Commercial Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses
Saez-Martinez, Virginia; Mann, Aisling; Lydon, Fiona; Molock, Frank; Layton, Siân A.; Toolan, Daniel T. W.; Howse, Jonathan R.; Topham, Paul D.; Tighe, Brian J.
The importance of the microstructure on the permeability of silicone hydrogels is widely appreciated but is poorly understood and minimally investigated. In contrast with most conventional hydrogels, the water content and water structuring within silicone hydrogels cannot be solely used to predict their permeability. To ensure comfort and eye health,…
Toughening anti-overswelling semicrystalline polymer hydrogels with ultra-small hydrophobic nanoparticles
Meng, Xiaohui; Wu, Teng; Qiu, Dong
Semicrystalline polymer hydrogels (SC-gels) are intrinsically electrolyte tolerant and over-swelling resistant, emerging as promising candidates for applications in solution environments. However, SC-gels with high mechanical strength are usually brittle. In the present work, by introducing ultra-small hydrophobic nanoparticles, highly-stretchable SC-gels (15 times of its original length) with
Development and characterization of a novel soy lecithin-stearic acid and whey protein concentrate bigel system for potential edible applications
Bollom, Mark A.; Clark, Stephanie; Acevedo, Nuria C.
Bigels are a new technology with great potential in the food industry. Their success with drug delivery suggests they may be able to deliver sensitive compounds in foods, such as probiotics and bioactives. The purpose of this study was to develop and characterize a novel, edible bigel system. The bigel…
Effects of charge contrast and composition on microgel formation and interactions with bacteria-mimicking liposomes
Borro, Bruno C.; Toussaint, Marie S.; Bucciarelli, Saskia; Malmsten, Martin
Microgels offer opportunities for improved delivery of antimicrobial peptides (AMP). To contribute to a foundation for rational design of such systems, we here study the effects of electrostatics on the generation of peptide-carrying microgels. For this, alginate microgels loaded with polymyxin B and cross-linked by Ca2+, were formed by electrostatic…
Strong, Water-Stable Ionic Cable from Bio-Hydrogel
Kong, Weiqing; Li, Tian; Chen, Chaoji; Chen, Gegu; Brozena, Alexandra H.; Liu, Dapeng; Liu, Yang; Wang, Chengwei; Gan, Wentao; Wang, Sha; He, Shuaiming; Hu, Liangbing
Nanofluids have attracted much attention due to their various applications in energy storage, water desalination, and ionic circuits. However, the practical applications of the existing ionic conductors are limited due to their poor mechanical strength and stability in water. Here, inspired by nature, we develop a mechanically robust and water-stable…
Highly Stretchable Photonic Crystal Hydrogels for a Sensitive Mechanochromic Sensor and Direct Ink Writing
Chen, Jiayao; Xu, Lirong; Yang, Meijia; Chen, Xiaochuan; Chen, Xudong; Hong, Wei
Photonic crystals, which are materials with periodic dielectric constants on the submicroscale, have been the focus of research for an extended period. Photonic soft materials have been extensively developed for use as colorimetric indicators and mechanochromic sensors, but their limited mechanical properties and molding characteristics only suitable for films restrict…
Solvent-non-solvent rapid-injection for preparing nanostructured materials from micelles to hydrogels
Lang, Chao; LaNasa, Jacob A.; Utomo, Nyalaliska; Xu, Yifan; Nelson, Melissa J.; Song, Woochul; Hickner, Michael A.; Colby, Ralph H.; Kumar, Manish; Hickey, Robert J.
Due to their distinctive molecular architecture, ABA triblock copolymers will undergo specific self-assembly processes into various nanostructures upon introduction into a B-block selective solvent. Although much of the focus in ABA triblock copolymer self-assembly has been on equilibrium nanostructures, little attention has been paid to the guiding principles of nanostructure…
Pure PEDOT:PSS hydrogels
Lu, Baoyang; Yuk, Hyunwoo; Lin, Shaoting; Jian, Nannan; Qu, Kai; Xu, Jingkun; Zhao, Xuanhe
Hydrogels of conducting polymers provide an electrical interface with biological tissues for sensing and stimulation, but currently have compromised mechanical and electrical properties. Here, the authors show a simple method to achieve pure PEDOT:PSS hydrogels that exhibit superior mechanical and electrical properties, stability, and tunable