Shear modulus determination in model hydrogels by means of elongated magnetic nanoprobes

The mechanical characterization of complex soft matter by quasi-static magnetometry using nanoscopic magnetic probes is demonstrated for model hydrogels doped with two types of elongated magnetic nanoparticles. Chemically crosslinked poly(acrylamide) (PAAm) hydrogels serve as the matrix in which nickel nanorods or weakly magnetized hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) ellipsoids are embedded as local probes. We investigated the swelling behavior of the ferrogels in order to verify that their equilibrium swelling degree in water is not influenced by the probes, shows a good correlation with the Frenkel–Flory–Rehner model. The proposed magnetomechanical method relies on a correlation between the shear modulus of the PAAm hydrogel matrix and the coercive fields of the corresponding isotropic ferrogels. By extending the Stoner–Wohlfarth model for single-domain blocked magnetic particles by a term for particle rotation in an elastic matrix, information on the shear modulus of the matrix can be obtained. Comparison of the results with the expected relation from rubber elasticity theory illustrates both the general potential as well as the limits of the approach. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012