Agar/PAM DN hydrogels show extraordinary mechanical and free-shapeable properties: (a) bending; (b) knotting; (c) compression; (d) (stretching); (e) hexagon; (f) teddy bear gel under compression; and (g) teddy bear gel after force release.
It’s squishy, synthetic, flexible, mostly water and almost as tough as rubber.
No, it’s not “flubber” — it’s a hydrogel, and now scientists at The University of Akron are exploring new biomedical uses for this polymer-based product.
Dr. Jie Zheng, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and Dr. Robert Weiss, Hezzleton E. Simmons professor and chair of polymer engineering, are among the most recent to contribute to the growing research of hydrogels, the gelatinous substance that, because of its toughness and plasticity, has several biomedical applications, including cartilage repair, implants for minimally invasive surgery and drug delivery.
Simplifying production process
Since, as Zheng says, “all existing methods to prepare double-network hydrogels involve multiple-step processes, which are tedious and time-consuming,” Zheng and his team developed a simple, efficient and one-pot method (in which reactions occur in one as opposed to several pots) to synthesize double-network hydrogels — that is, hydrogels composed of two networks of polymer chains, one rigid, the other ductile.
Zheng not only made the synthesis of these hydrogels more efficient — he also made the hydrogels tougher.
Most hydrogels are weak and brittle, “suffering from low mechanical strength, poor toughness, and/or limited extensibility and recoverability,” Zheng says.
His hydrogels, however, “exhibit high mechanical properties, excellent recoverable properties, and a unique, free-shapeable property,” he says, making them promising replacements for load-bearing soft tissues like cartilage, tendon, muscle and blood vessels.
Weiss also has synthesized a tougher brand of hydrogel, a “shape memory hydrogel,” which can be bent and stretched and fixed into temporary shapes. When exposed to an external stimulus, such as temperature, light, moisture, or an electric field, shape memory polymers recover their original, permanent shape.
Useful shape-shifters
Weiss’s shape memory hydrogels are thermally actuated, meaning they stretch and change shape when heated, and they retain this temporary shape when cooled.
Biocompatible, shape memory hydrogels have the potential to be used for minimally invasive surgery and drug delivery, Weiss says.
“Shape memory may be useful for deployment of hydrogels in biomedical applications using less invasive methods … for example, one can implant a compact form of the device that would deploy into the usable shape after it is implanted,” he says.
The Latest Bing News on:
Biogels
- Brain - Latest News and Research Updateson July 31, 2022 at 5:01 pm
Medindia provides you with the latest news and research breakthroughs on Brain. Please find 6220 such items on this topic. Download Brain News Widget at the bottom ...
- Time-Lapse Footage Shows Neural Stem Cells Grow in 3D Scaffoldson July 18, 2022 at 9:50 am
By literally watching how the cells respond to natural biochemical signals embedded within the material, biomedical engineers hope to develop biogels that can repair and regrow brain tissue after a ...
- Watching primordial neural cells grow in 3D scaffolds to heal brain injuryon July 18, 2022 at 6:14 am
By literally watching how the cells respond to natural biochemical signals embedded within the material, biomedical engineers hope to develop biogels that can repair and regrow brain tissue after ...
- How Neural Cells Heal Brain Injury?on July 17, 2022 at 2:33 pm
‘Tracking how neural progenitor cells respond to biochemical signals while moving and growing through a biocompatible jungle gym could help develop brain-healing biogels.’ Repairing and ...
- Watching primordial neural cells grow in 3D scaffolds to heal brain injuryon July 15, 2022 at 10:34 am
By literally watching how the cells respond to natural biochemical signals embedded within the material, biomedical engineers hope to develop biogels that can repair and regrow brain tissue after ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Biogels
The Latest Bing News on:
Shape memory hydrogel
- Best Cheap Mattress of 2022 - Affordable & Budget Mattresseson August 4, 2022 at 3:48 am
No matter what type of mattress you prefer — foam, memory foam, spring, or hybrid — there’s a low-cost option available designed to fit all types of sleepers. From soft to firm, we’ve scoured the ...
- Best cooling mattresses for hot sleepers UKon August 4, 2022 at 1:50 am
For hot sleepers, it’s nothing short of a nightmare as you toss and turn around looking for a patch of coolness to lull you into slumber. Few of us can afford to forgo a solid night of dozing.
- Eight Sleep Bed Reviews, Potential Issues & Alternatives Guideon August 3, 2022 at 12:27 pm
Eight Sleep Bed Reviews, Potential Issues & Alternatives Guide ...
- 64 Things That Are Really, Really Comfortable On Amazonon August 3, 2022 at 4:15 am
I’ve always loved comfortable things. I have more robes and throw blankets than I know what to do with. But after I got my own place and hit year four of working 100% from home, comfort became a ...
- Say goodbye to sleepless nights with the best memory foam mattresseson July 29, 2022 at 4:44 pm
This gel-based memory foam mattress is perfect for light ... Supported by a comforting top layer that molds around the shape of your body, the Olee Sleep Memory Foam Mattress is made even more ...
- The Best Gel Pillows for a Breezier Night’s Sleepon July 28, 2022 at 5:00 pm
It also has gel-infused memory foam that reviewers say is cool ... It took us 2 nights to get used to this shape, though. So, if you don’t currently use a contour pillow, it might take a ...
- Best Mattresses for Side Sleepers in 2022: Buyer’s Guide, Memory Foam, Hybrid, and Moreon July 25, 2022 at 2:35 am
If you’d prefer a cooling gel memory foam, the Grateful Hybrid mattress can keep you cool and comfortable if you sleep hot. With its pressure relief and “memory” of your body shape ...
- 8 Great Gel Seat Cushionson July 24, 2022 at 5:00 pm
We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Here’s our process. Many of us know what it feels like to sit for ...
- Shape-Shifting Ceramics Eyed for Medical Devices, Electronicson July 21, 2022 at 5:00 pm
Related: Nature's Octopus Inspired a New Smart Gel That Can Dynamically Change Shape Still, however useful, shape memory so far has been a characteristic reserved for alloys and polymer-based ...
- Sleep better with a cooling-gel memory foam mattress delivered in a convenient boxon July 21, 2022 at 1:32 pm
Your doorbell rings and you answer, expecting to see a hulking mattress that dwarfs the deliverymen. Instead, you’re greeted by a conveniently sized box that, when opened, reveals a mattress ...