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Reinforcing biopolymer hydrogels with ionic‐covalent entanglement hydrogel microspheres
Author(s) -
Kirchmajer Damian Martin,
Panhuis Marc in het
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.40557
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , genipin , materials science , gellan gum , gelatin , biopolymer , glass microsphere , composite material , ionic bonding , compressive strength , emulsion , covalent bond , chemical engineering , microsphere , polymer chemistry , polymer , chemistry , chitosan , ion , biochemistry , food science , organic chemistry , engineering
Microscopic hydrogel spheres can be used to improve the mechanical properties of conventional hydrogels. We prepared ionic‐covalent entanglement (ICE) hydrogel microspheres of calcium cross‐linked gellan gum and genipin cross‐linked gelatin using a water‐in‐oil emulsion‐based processing technique. The method was optimized to produce microspheres with number average diameter 4 ± 1 µm. These ICE microspheres were used to reinforce gelatin hydrogels and improve their compressive mechanical properties. The strongest microsphere reinforced hydrogels possessed a compressive mechanical stress at failure of 0.50 ± 0.1 MPa and a compressive secant modulus of 0.18 ± 0.02 MPa. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131 , 40557.