TY - JOUR

T1 - A reliable and easy-to-implement optical characterization method for dynamic and static properties of smart hydrogels

AU - Rückmann, Klaudia

AU - Mu, Guannan

AU - Magda, Jules J.

AU - Solzbacher, Florian

AU - Reiche, Christopher F.

AU - Körner, Julia

N1 - Funding Information: The authors would like to thank Saeed Boroomand and Lars Priess for supporting the initial optical concept development and Hsuan-Yu Leu for fabrication of gold nanoparticle PAM hydrogel samples. Furthermore, the University of Utah authors acknowledge funding by the Joe W. and Dorothy Dorsett Brown Foundation as well as the Olive Tupper Foundation.

PY - 2022/4/19

Y1 - 2022/4/19

N2 - Smart (stimuli-responsive) hydrogels constitute a material class suitable for transducers in sensing applications due to their volume-phase transition in response to a change in environmental parameters. In order to assess the viability of new hydrogel compositions for sensing, an easily applicable yet reliable characterization method for relevant static and dynamic properties of the gels, such as swelling and deswelling time constants, repeatability, stability as well as the relative swelling ratio, is crucial. Here we present such an easy-to-implement and affordable method based on the optical detection of the hydrogel's swelling state. We demonstrate the method's viability for characterization of various samples and discuss its advantages and limitations. Additionally, we fully describe the necessary experimental setup, software for automated data evaluation and corresponding procedures to allow interested researchers to implement the method in their own laboratories.

AB - Smart (stimuli-responsive) hydrogels constitute a material class suitable for transducers in sensing applications due to their volume-phase transition in response to a change in environmental parameters. In order to assess the viability of new hydrogel compositions for sensing, an easily applicable yet reliable characterization method for relevant static and dynamic properties of the gels, such as swelling and deswelling time constants, repeatability, stability as well as the relative swelling ratio, is crucial. Here we present such an easy-to-implement and affordable method based on the optical detection of the hydrogel's swelling state. We demonstrate the method's viability for characterization of various samples and discuss its advantages and limitations. Additionally, we fully describe the necessary experimental setup, software for automated data evaluation and corresponding procedures to allow interested researchers to implement the method in their own laboratories.

KW - Optical characterization

KW - Smart hydrogels

KW - Stimuli-responsive polymers

KW - Volume-phase transition

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85126717532&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.polymer.2022.124713

DO - 10.1016/j.polymer.2022.124713

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85126717532

VL - 246

JO - POLYMER

JF - POLYMER

SN - 0032-3861

M1 - 124713

ER -