Open AccessThermal actuation of hydrogels from PNIPAm, alginate, and carbon nanofibres
Author(s) -
Warren Holly,
in het Panhuis Marc,
Spinks Geoffrey M.,
Officer David L.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of polymer science part b: polymer physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.65
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1099-0488
pISSN - 0887-6266
DOI - 10.1002/polb.24430
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , materials science , composite number , composite material , polymer , interpenetrating polymer network , microfluidics , chemical engineering , joule heating , thermal , polymer chemistry , nanotechnology , physics , meteorology , engineering
Composite ionic‐covalent entanglement (ICE) hydrogel networks were prepared from poly( N ‐isopropylacrylamide), alginate, and carbon nanofibres. An optimised triple network hydrogel with 86% water content exhibited a compressive strength of 3.0 ± 0.1 MPa and 66 ± 13 mS/cm electrical conductivity. Thermal actuation was shown to have a shorter response time for gels containing nanofibres, compared to those which did not and hydrogel samples more than halved in volume within 1 minute when placed in a 60 °C water bath. Controlled dye release was demonstrated as a potential application and used to further quantify thermal actuation over short times. Joule heating techniques were used to electronically actuate the hydrogel samples, removing the traditional requirements for immersion in a temperature controlled liquid. It is expected that devices based on these materials will find potential applications in soft robotics and micro fluidics. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2018 , 56 , 46–52