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Mechanical Investigations on Agar Gels Using Atomic Force Microscopy: Effect of Deuteration
Author(s) -
Grant Colin A.,
Twigg Peter C.,
Savage Michael D.,
Woon W. Hong,
Greig Denis
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
macromolecular materials and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1439-2054
pISSN - 1438-7492
DOI - 10.1002/mame.201100164
Subject(s) - nanoindentation , materials science , elastic modulus , surface roughness , deuterium , atomic force microscopy , modulus , agar , surface finish , chemical engineering , agar gel , analytical chemistry (journal) , composite material , nanotechnology , chromatography , chemistry , bacteria , physics , microbiology and biotechnology , quantum mechanics , biology , engineering , genetics
The isotopic effect of exchanging deuterium with hydrogen on the mechanical and surface properties of agar gel is examined. The elastic modulus of the D 2 O gels obtained by AFM nanoindentation is significantly higher (factor of ≈1.5–2) than the modulus found in H 2 O agar gels. Furthermore, the modulus is independent of loading rate. Surface imaging reveals that the surface roughness gets progressively smaller with increasing agar concentration. All these data suggest that the isotopic replacement of deuterium enhances the mechanical properties of the agar gel, with significant advantages in its use as a biphasic scaffold.