Hydrogels with Gradient Properties

abstract

English

Hydrogels are widely implemented materials of current importance due to their tunable and well customized functionality, reversibility, flexibility and biocompatibility. Unfortunately, homogeneous hydrogels cannot always satisfy the sophisticated demands of material engineering. For this reason, recently, there is a growing necessity in developing the materials with gradient properties for different application fields such as water treatment, tissue engineering, pharmacy, cell biology etc. Particularly, the gradient hydrogel has a progressive change in structure and function, that enables not only to mimic complex and anisotropic structures and control targeted release of active molecules or cell interactions, but also leads to more precisely adjustable application properties (transport, mechanical, separation). Gradient hydrogels can be generated via various methods, providing either sharp or continuous physical and chemical gradients. Nevertheless the range of existing preparation methods is not universal. Each method is suitable for specific materials, requires certain equipment and has its own advantages and shortcomings. It should be noted, that common techniques for soft-material characterization are designed to analyze homogeneous samples. Hence, in the case of gradients, they must be adapted not only to inhomogeneous structures, but also to the copresence of chemical components or physical properties that can differ in satisfying the requirements for the use of a specific analytical technique. Therefore the aim of presented study is to optimize selected preparation methods and characterization techniques, intended for gradient materials, and to analyze the main factors affected the creation and spatial distribution of the final gradient.

gradient hydrogels, agarose, material ingineering

Natalia Zinkovska, Jiří Smilek, Miloslav Pekar

26. 11. 2021

Vysoké učení technické v Brně, Fakulta chemická

Purkyňova 464/118, 612 00 Brno

978-80-214-6002-7

Studentská odborná konference CHEMIE JE ŽIVOT 2021 Sborník abstraktů

104

105

1

https://www.fch.vut.cz/vav/konference/sok/vystupy/sbornik-konference-2021-abstrakty-a5-pdf-p213391