Effects of magnetic and electric fields, mechanical stress on the conformational state and release behavior of the composite gels with embedded colloid particles

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Alexei R. Khokhlov
• Subject Area: Preparatory and Physical Chemistry of Polymers
• Term: from 2006 to 2014
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 28463128

The aim of the project is the synthesis of novel phase separated hydrogels composed of A/-isopropylacrylamide, hydrophobic components (drugs/dyes) and nanostructured silica by a combination of advanced techniques such as (mini)emulsion polymerization, sol-gel processing, and cooperative self-assembly relying on hydrolysis and condensation reactions of molecular precursors in the presence of polymerizable hydrogel monomers and amphiphiles. Two different strategies will be followed: (a) hydrogels containing embedded narrowly distributed nanodroplets of water-insoluble organic and/or inorganic substances, and (b) hydrogels as (nano)droplets in a continuous inorganic gel phase. In addition to the synthetic aspects, the volume phase transitions of the composite gels will be studied, in addition to their elasticity combined with microscopic and X-ray based investigations of the emulsion droplets in the gel phase. Absorption - release properties of the composite gels will be investigated for some typical drug compounds as well as surfactants and dyes and correlated to their structure and chemical composition.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1259: Intelligent Hydrogels