Synthesis and Viscoelastic Properties of Hydrophobically Modified Hydrogels |
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Authors: | Guillaume Miquelard-Garnier Costantino Creton Dominique Hourdet |
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Institution: | Physico-Chimie des Polymères et des Milieux Dispersés, UMR 7615, UPMC-CNRS-ESPCI, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75005 Paris, France |
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Abstract: | Summary: We report the synthesis and characterization of a family of hydrophobically modified hydrogels designed to have an improved fracture resistance. A backbone of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) was functionalized with double bonds and hydrophobic groups. The functionalized PAA was then crosslinked with a dithiol. The chemical structure of the gels was characterized with a combination of NMR, titration methods and rheological techniques. The crosslinked structure of the hydrogel was found to be dependent on the polymer concentration only, while the dissipative properties of the gel increased strongly at all frequencies, with the introduction of hydrophobic groups which formed reversible associations. We expect these viscoelastic hydrogels to display dramatically different properties from the unmodified hydrogels when stretched and fractured. |
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Keywords: | amphiphilic networks hydrogels synthesis viscoelasticity |
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