University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Fabrication and characterization of co-continuous elastomer-hydrogel composites

Zhang, Qian

Content Files
ZHANG-THESIS-2016.pdf

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/95518

Description

Title
Fabrication and characterization of co-continuous elastomer-hydrogel composites
Author(s)
Zhang, Qian
Issue Date
2016-12-08
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Hutchens, Shelby B.
Department of Study
Mechanical Sci & Engineering
Discipline
Mechanical Engineering
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Level
Thesis
Date of Ingest
2017-03-01T16:37:10Z
Keyword(s)
  • elastomer-hydrogel composite
  • polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)
  • polyacrylamide hydrogel
  • stretchability
  • water permeability
  • salt diffusivity
Abstract
The increasing demand of applications in polymer industry requires new or improved combinations of material properties, which cannot be satisfied by few polymers alone. There has therefore been scientific and industrial interest in mixing two different polymers together to make polymer blends. Of all possible polymer blend morphologies, co-continuous blends are of particular interest due to their unique property of possessing two continuous phases. In this research, a co-continuous structured elastomer-hydrogel composite is fabricated to combine the elasticity of elastomer and the permeability of hydrogel. The stretchable, water permeable composite can be used as a mechanically tunable molecular sieve in drug delivery and tissue engineering. Porous PEO-PDMS elastomer with interconnected microchannels is filled with polyacrylamide hydrogels via a microsphere-templating process. The configuration of the microstructure of the composite is observed and analyzed. Besides, the mechanical properties and diffusivity properties of the composite are experimentally characterized. In general, this research provides experimental bases for designing a new polymer blends of elastomer and hydrogel. It also aids in the creation of guidelines for the analysis of elastomer-hydrogel interactions.
Graduation Semester
2016-12
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/95518
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2016 Qian Zhang

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