Tree-gel and loop-gel conversions in nonlinear polymerization

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Mullite Formation of Colloidal Matrix Hybrid Aluminosilicate Gel

A hybrid aluminosilicate gel composed of a relatively small amount of single-phase gel in a diphasic matrix forms when a diphasic gel of AlOOH and SiO₂ is heated at 700°C for 7 h. The formation of mullite from this hybrid gel is a sequential conversion process, but not of two entirely independent processes of single-phase gel and diphasic gel. The high commencement temperature (>1250°C) of mullite formation from this hybrid gel indicates that the dominant component (diphasic component) strongly affects or controls the mullite transformation behavior of the hybrid gel. The apparent activation energy for mullitization from this hybrid gel is 846 kJ/mol, which is somewhat lower than that of pure diphasic gel but much higher than that of pure single-phase gel.     

Triple-transforming gel prepared byβ-cyclodextrin,diphenylamine and lithium chloride in N,N-dimethylacetamide

<正>This paper describes a triple-transforming gel system(gel-sol-gel') for the first time,which is a thermo-responsive and multicomponent organogel prepared byβ-cyclodextrin(β-CD),diphenylamine(DPA) and lithium chloride(LiCl) in N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAC) in a suitable proportion based on the supramolecular interactions.In the triple-transforming gel system,a gel(gel A) could be formed byβ-CD,DPA and LiCl in DMAC at room temperature based on stirring,then the gel could transform into a clear solution based on heating,and then the other gel(gel B) can be formed at a relatively high temperature(T_(gel),the gelation temperature by heating).The two gel states in the triple-transforming gel system have different microstructures.This gel system was characterized by OM,SEM,IR and rheology.     

Crosslinked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gel for electrophoretic separation and recovery of substances

Crosslinked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gel was tested on the feasibility for a preparative electrophoretic matrix. Horse heart myoglobin and bovine hemoglobin were well separated on the gel matrix electrophoretically by molecular sieving effect of the gel network. Relative mobilities of those proteins in the gel were larger than those in a crosslinked polyacrylamide gel of the same polymer concentration. After the separation, the protein-containing portion of the gel underwent swelling at 4°C and deswelling at 37°C, alternatively. As a result of the deswelling, each protein was recovered in a discharged solution out of the gel at almost 100% yield.     

Liesegang pattern formation in kappa-carrageenan gel

We report a new class of the spatial pattern formation process in which the gel plays essential roles. The system studied here is the solution of kappa-carrageenan in which potassium chloride is diffused. The solution transforms into the gel state with the diffusion of potassium chloride. Then the stripe pattern, which is perpendicular to the direction of the diffusion of potassium chloride, appears within the gel. The pattern thus formed in the gel is studied as a function of the concentration of the solution of potassium chloride. We find that the dense region of the stripe pattern consists of the liquid crystalline gel, whereas the dilute region is the amorphous gel. The transition from the amorphous gel to the liquid crystalline gel, hence, occurs in the gel state of kappa-carrageenan. The gel behaves as a pattern-forming substance as well as the supporting medium of the pattern in this system. The period and the thickness of the layers of liquid crystalline gel are analyzed. Both the period and the thickness of the layers are found to depend strongly on the concentration of the solution of potassium chloride.     

采用一锅法制备量子点/琼脂纳米复合凝胶

以天然高分子琼脂为稳定剂,采用简单便捷的一锅法制备Mn掺杂ZnS量子点/琼脂纳米复合凝胶,琼脂不仅作为制备量子点的稳定剂,同时也是纳米复合凝胶的主要成分。对该纳米复合凝胶中量子点的化学结构和尺寸大小进行了表征,并对纳米复合凝胶的荧光性能和凝胶性能进行了研究。实验结果表明,制备得到的纳米复合凝胶均一稳定,在302 nm紫外光下呈现十分明显的橙红色荧光。在该纳米复合凝胶的透射电子显微镜（TEM）表征中可以观察到大小比较均一、粒径为3 nm左右的纳米粒子,光谱分析结果进一步证实纳米复合凝胶中存在Mn掺杂ZnS量子点。该纳米复合凝胶不仅具有良好的荧光性能,还具有温度刺激响应性可逆溶胶-凝胶转变性能,同时具有较高的溶胶转变温度和较好的温度稳定性。利用这些性能特点,可以方便地制备纳米复合凝胶小球。此外,该纳米复合凝胶还可以被潜在应用于金属离子的荧光检测分析领域。     

Flow of water through channels filled with deformable polymer gels

A mathematical model is developed for the flow of water through a channel impregnated with a polymer gel that is treated as an elastic and deformable porous medium. The model uses a Brinkman equation along with an experimentally observed velocity-dependent permeability. Numerical and approximate analytical solutions are given. These results show that the gel intrinsic properties, i.e., gel reference permeability and elastic index, control the water flow. First, the permeability of water flow through the gel increases with an increase of gel reference permeability. Second, the velocity of water decreases when the gel velocity exponent increases. Our theoretical results show that the velocity-dependent permeability of water flow through polymer gels is in fact an intrinsic property of the gel rather than a property of the channel or some interaction between the gel and the pore walls.     

Influence of gel content on the physical properties of unfilled and carbon black filled natural rubber vulcanizates

Recently, gel content has been considered as a standard property for evaluating commercial grade natural rubber (NR). In this study, NR containing various amounts of gel was prepared by accelerated storage hardening as a model to clarify the influence of gel content on the physical properties of both unfilled and carbon black filled vulcanizates. Furthermore, the NR samples were investigated to determine the effect of gel fraction on Mooney viscosity and the structure of the gel after mastication. The results revealed that Mooney viscosity was related to the percentage of gel fraction that has been proven to be the result of interactions between proteins and phospholipids at chain ends. After mastication, although the gel fraction of NR can be decomposed to ∼0% w/w, the interactions of proteins and phospholipids at the chain ends still existed, corresponding to the gel content of the raw rubber. In the case of unfilled vulcanizates, the gel content showed no effect on cure characteristics, crosslink density and ultimate tensile strength, whereas the upturn of stress occurred at a smaller strain when the gel content increased. However, in the case of carbon black filled vulcanizates, the gel content played a dominant role in the carbon black dispersion, which was poorer when gel content increased, contributing to a decrease of crosslink density and ultimate tensile strength.     

Potential application of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gel containing polymeric micelles to drug delivery systems

We have investigated rapidly thermo-responsive NIPA gel containing polymer surfactant PMDP (NIPA-PMDP gel) as a potential drug carrier using (+)-l-ascorbic acid as a model drug. In the NIPA-PMDP gel system micelles of polymer surfactant PMDP are trapped by the entanglement of polymer chains inside the gel networks. Therefore, in principle the gel system tightly stores targeted drug in the micelles and rapidly releases controlled amount of the drug by switching on-off of external stimuli such as temperature or infrared laser beam. In our investigation on release profile, the NIPA-PMDP gel system showed completely different releasing behavior from that of the conventional NIPA gel. The NIPA-PMDP gel released rapidly all loaded (+)-l-ascorbic acid above the phase transition temperature (ca. 34 degrees C), while slowly released the corresponding amount of the drug below the temperature. In contrast, the conventional NIPA gel released more slowly limited amount of the drug above the phase transition temperature while similarly did to the NIPA-PMDP gel below the temperature. The release profile of the NIPA-PMDP gel seems to be governed by only kinetics of volume phase transition of the gel network but not by the hydrophobic domains of the micelles probably because of too hydrophilic nature of (+)-l-ascorbic acid.     

Dissolvable disulphide-polyacrylamide gels for the electrophoretic analysis of chromosomal proteins and for affino-electrophoresis of thiol-proteins

A discontinous gel system is described that is composed of the dissolvable, disulphide-containing acrylamide gel developed by Hansen and the acetic acid-urea gel as introduced by Panyim and Chalkley. A cleavable SDS gel is used for the identification and an initial separation of proteins according to molecular weight; it is then solubilized by tris-mercaptoethanol and layered on the acidic gel, where it functions as a stacking gel with a pronounced concentrating capacity. The final resolution obtained by this technique permits the identification of single protein species according to the degree of enzymatic modification (acetylation and phosphorylation). Side reactions of the disulphide gel matrix with thiol proteins are discussed and other possible application are considered.     

The controlled release of a drug from biodegradable chitosan gel beads

Chitosan (CS) forms a gel in solutions with a pH above 12, and the gelation occurs at pH of about 9 in 10% amino acid solutions. In this paper, we investigated the enzymatic degradation and the drug release profile of this novel CS gel beads. The degradability of the CS gel beads was affected by the CS properties, e.g. the degree of deacetylation. The release of prednisolone (PS), as a model drug, from the CS gel beads was sustained significantly compared with the gel prepared with NaOH only. However, the release was not able to be sustained by the increment of NaOH concentration in the solution employed for the preparation of CS gel beads. We also investigated the control of drug release from CS gel beads by application of a complex formed between chondroitin sulfate (Cho) and CS. The release of PS from the CS gel beads treated with Cho was prolonged, and the release pattern was not affected by the treatment time. The time to 50% drug release was about 5 min with PS powder, about 200 min in CS gel beads with 10% glycine (Gly) (pH 9.0), and about 330 min in the CS gel beads with 10% Gly (pH 9.0) treated with Cho. Thus CS gel beads appear promising as a vehicle for sustained drug delivery, and the degradation of CS gel beads may be controlled by the degree of deacetylation of CS.     

Tricritical point induced by smectic ordering of a nematic gel

The authors study volume phase transitions of a nematic gel immersed in a liquid crystal (LC) solvent, which shows a second-order nematic-smectic A phase transition (NST). Combining Flory's elastic energy [Principles of Polymer Chemistry (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, 1953)] for a swelling of the gel with the McMillan model [Phys. Rev. A 4, 1238 (1971)] for smectic ordering, the authors calculate the equilibrium swelling of the gel and smectic order parameters as a function of temperature. The authors take into account an attractive interaction parameter c between the gel and LC solvents. On increasing the value of the coupling constant c, a second-order NST of the gel is changed to a first-order one and a continuous volume phase transition of the gel is changed to a discontinuous one. The authors find a tricritical point of the gel induced by smectic ordering.     

Redox‐Responsive Macroscopic Gel Assembly Based on Discrete Dual Interactions

The macroscopic self‐assembly of polymeric hydrogels modified with β‐cyclodextrin (βCD gel), ferrocene (Fc gel), and styrenesulfonic acid sodium salt (SSNa gel) was investigated. Under reductive conditions, the Fc gel selectively adhered to the βCD gel through a host–guest interaction. On the other hand, the oxidized ferrocenium (Fc⁺) gel selectively adhered to the SSNa gel through an ionic interaction under oxidative conditions. The adhesion strength was estimated by a tensile test. We finally succeeded in forming an ABC‐type macroscopic assembly of all three gels through two discrete noncovalent interactions.     

锂离子电池凝胶聚合物隔膜的研究进展

作为锂离子电池重要组分,隔膜由多孔聚烯烃高分子材料组成;电解质体系由有机碳酸酯和六氟磷酸锂混合组成,虽具有高离子电导率,但因液态碳酸酯的易燃特性给锂离子电池带来了安全隐患。利用能够将液态电解质体系凝胶化的聚合物制备得到的凝胶聚合物隔膜,结合了液态电解质体系高电导率和固态电解质高安全性的优点。凝胶聚合物隔膜的研究从简单微孔凝胶聚合物隔膜开始,经历了引入少量纳米无机颗粒的掺杂凝胶聚合物隔膜,到引入大量纳米颗粒的凝胶陶瓷隔膜的发展历程。本文详细介绍这三种类型凝胶聚合物隔膜的物理化学特性,最后展望凝胶聚合物隔膜的发展趋势。     

Study of a Double Cross-Linked HPAM Gel for in-Depth Profile Control

The concept of profile control is one of the most important strategies to enhance oil recovery in a high water production field, with polymer gels being used as a gelant matrix in various reservoirs around the globe. In an effort to reach a suitable profile control, previous attempts lead to an increase of polymer concentration, resulting in a poor injection and insufficient in-depth profile control. The work presented here introduces a novel gel system, using both key functional groups on HPAM to react with two types of cross-linking agents. Different formulations and the properties of this double cross-linked HPAM gel system have been studied. The experimental results indicate that the studied double cross-linked HPAM gel system exhibits a higher gel strength, an improved salt and shear resistance as well as an improved plugging effect compared to a single cross-linked HPAM gel system. Moreover, as a result of higher gel strength, the double cross-linked HPAM gel system also shows a longer gelation time, a parameter particularly useful for in-depth profile control. The gel microstructures have been evaluated, with the double cross-linked HPAM gel exhibiting a molecular structure that is more compact. The latter is a clear indication for the improved properties of the system as will be detailed in subsequent sections.     

Localization of separated protein bands in unstained electrophoresed polyacrylamide gradient slab gel.

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis has become the most widely used separation method in biological science. Once electrophoresis is complete the protein bands must be localized prior to excision. A zig-zag gel cutter is described which cuts a strip of gel from the side of a slab gradient gel or a gel of uniform concentration in peaks and valleys. The location of the protein of interest is determined by counting the number of peaks on the stained side strip. The portion of the unstained gel corresponding to the same count (number of valleys) is cut to recover the protein of interest from the main gel for further manipulations.     

Novel Gel with Controllable Strength for In-Depth Conformance Control: Bulk Gelation Performance and Propagation Properties in Porous Media

Polymer gel has been widely used to control excessive water production in mature oilfields. However, in view of reservoir conditions characterized by serious heterogeneous thick oil layers, high strength and in-depth propagation are required of polymer gel to achieve good treatment efficiency. Based on the concept of in-depth conformance control, a novel gel with controllable strength composed of polymer, resorcinol/hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA), acetic acid and gel strength modifier was developed. The effects of component concentrations on bulk gelation properties were investigated. The microstructures of conventional gel and novel gel at different aging time were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which can provide insight into the mechanism of controllable gel strength. Moreover, sandpack flow experiments were carried out on sandpacks (Φ2.5 × 100 cm) with multi-point pressure taps to investigate whether the novel gel can propagate in porous media. Compared with the conventional gel, SEM results showed that the three-dimensional network structure of novel gel was weakened more seriously, resulting in the decrease of gel strength. Due to decreased gel strength at different aging time, the novel gel can propagate in porous media to achieve in-depth conformance control.     

The Evaluation of Healing Properties of Galium verum-Based Oral Gel in Aphthous Stomatitis in Rats

Although oral ulcers represent one of the most frequent oral mucosal diseases, the available treatment is not sufficient to provide complete ulcer recovery without side-effects. Therefore, the aim of our study was to prepare a mucoadhesive oral gel based on Galium verum ethanol extract (GVL gel) and reveal its healing effects in the model of aphthous stomatitis in rats. Rats with oral ulcers were divided into the following groups: control (untreated), gel base (ulcer was treated with the gel base, three times per day for 10 days), and GVL gel group (the ulcer was treated with GVL gel in the same way as the gel base). Animals from each group were sacrificed on days 0, 3, 6, and 10 for collecting blood and ulcer tissue samples. Healing properties of oral gel were determined by clinical evaluation, as well as biochemical and histopathological examinations. Our findings suggest a significant decrease in the ulcer size in GVL gel group, with healing effects achieved through the alleviation of oxidative stress, reduction in COX-2 immunopositivity, and increase in collagen content in buccal tissue. Significant ulcer repairing potential of GVL gel highlights this oral mucoadhesive gel as a promising tool for prevention and treatment of RAS.     

Self-driven gel conveyer: effect of interactions between loaded cargo and self-oscillating gel surface

A "self-oscillating" gel that swells and deswells periodically under constant conditions is developed as a novel biomimetic gel differing from conventional stimuli-responsive polymer gels. By utilizing the peristaltic motion of the self-oscillating gel, autonomous mass-transport systems can be realized. With the propagation of the chemical wave, the loaded gel cargo is autonomously transported by rotating on the surface. To apply the self-driven gel conveyer to a wider range of uses, it is important to investigate the influence of the physical interaction between the self-oscillating gel and the loaded cargo on its transporting ability. Here, the effect of the interaction is evaluated by using several kinds of gel cargo with varying charge states, hydrophilicities, and surface roughnesses.     

Direction control of chemical wave propagation in self-oscillating gel array

A chemomechanical actuator utilizing a reaction-diffusion wave across gap junction was constructed toward a novel mircoconveyer by micropatterned self-oscillating gel array. Unidirectional propagation of the chemical wave of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction was induced on gel arrays. In the case of using a triangle-shaped gel as an element of the array, the chemical wave propagated from the corner side of the triangle gel to the plane side of the other gel (C-to-P) across the gap junction, whereas it propagated from the plane side to the corner side (P-to-C) in the case of the pentagonal gel array. Numerical analysis based on the Keener-Tyson model was done for understanding the mechanism of unidirectional propagation in triangle and pentagonal gel arrays. The swelling and deswelling changes of the gels followed the unidirectional propagation of the chemical wave.