The only book to give a complete picture of current hydrogel research, covering all the major applications as well as the fundamental principles behind them.
Hydrogels are made from a three-dimensional network of cross linked hydrophilic polymers or colloidal particles that contain a large fraction of water. In recent years, hydrogels have attracted significant attention for a variety of applications in biology and medicine. This has resulted in significant advances in the design and engineering of hydrogels to meet the needs of these applications. This handbook explores significant development of hydrogels from characterization and applications. Volume 1 covers state-of-art knowledge and techniques of fundamental aspects of hydrogel physics and chemistry with an eye on bioengineering applications. Volume 2 explores the use of hydrogels in the interdisciplinary field of tissue engineering. Lastly volume 3 focuses on two important aspects of hydrogels, that is, drug delivery and biosensing. Contains 50 colour pages.
This book introduces the reader to important aspects of the nano-hydrogels. It covers the development of hydrogels and their biology, chemistry and properties. Focus is also given to innovative characterization techniques and advances in structural design, with special emphasis on molecular structure, dynamic behavior and structural modifications of hydrogels. This book serves as a consolidated reference work for the diverse aspects of hydrogels, creating a valuable resource for students and researchers in academia and industry.
Amphiphilic polymer co-networks (APCNs) are a type of polymeric hydrogel, their hydrophobic polymer segments and hydrophilic components produce less aqueous swelling, giving better mechanical properties than conventional hydrogels. This new class of polymers is attracting increasing attention, resulting in further basic research on the system, as well as new applications. This book focuses on new developments in the field of APCNs, and is organised in four sections: synthesis, properties, applications and modelling. Co-network architectures included in the book chapters are mainly those deriving from hydrophobic macro-cross-linkers, representing the classical approach; however, more modern designs are also presented. Properties of interest discussed include aqueous swelling, thermophysical and mechanical properties, self-assembly, electrical actuation, and protein adsorption. Applications described in the book chapters include the use of co-networks as soft contact lenses, scaffolds for drug delivery and tissue engineering, matrices for heterogeneous biocatalysis, and membranes of controllable permeability. Finally, an important theory chapter on the modelling of the self-assembly of APCNs is also included. The book is suitable for graduate students and researchers interested in hydrogels, polymer networks, polymer chemistry, block copolymers, self-assembly and nanomaterials, as well as their applications in contact lenses, drug delivery, tissue engineering, membranes and biocatalysis.
Provides deep insight into the concepts and recent developments in the area of supramolecular chemistry in water Written by experts in their respective field, this comprehensive reference covers various aspects of supramolecular chemistry in water?from fundamental aspects to applications. It provides readers with a basic introduction to the current understanding of the properties of water and how they influence molecular recognition, and examines the different receptor types available in water and the types of substrates that can be bound. It also looks at areas to where they can be applied, such as materials, optical sensing, medicinal imaging, and catalysis. Supramolecular Chemistry in Water offers five major sections that address important topics like water properties, molecular recognition, association and aggregation phenomena, optical detection and imaging, and supramolecular catalysis. It covers chemistry and physical chemistry of water; water-mediated molecular recognition; peptide and protein receptors; nucleotide receptors; carbohydrate receptors; and ion receptors. The book also teaches readers all about coordination compounds; self-assembled polymers and gels; foldamers; vesicles and micelles; and surface-modified nanoparticles. In addition, it provides in-depth information on indicators and optical probes, as well as probes for medical imaging. -Covers, in a timely manner, an emerging area in chemistry that is growing more important every day -Addresses topics such as molecular recognition, aggregation, catalysis, and more -Offers comprehensive coverage of everything from fundamental aspects of supramolecular chemistry in water to its applications -Edited by one of the leading international scientists in the field Supramolecular Chemistry in Water is a one-stop-resource for all polymer chemists, catalytic chemists, biochemists, water chemists, and physical chemists involved in this growing area of research.
Block Copolymer Surfactant Mixtures in Aqueous Solution: Can we Achieve Size and Shape Control by Co-Micellization?, by Thomas Hellweg; Non-ionic Thermoresponsive Polymers in Water, by Vladimir Aseyev, Heikki Tenhu and Françoise Winnik; From Coordination Polymers to Hierarchical Self-Assembled Structures, by Yun Yan, Arie de Keizer, Martien A. Cohen Stuart and Nicolaas A. M. Besseling; Processes of Ordered Structure Formation in Polypeptide Thin Film Solutions, by Ioan Botiz, Helmut Schlaad and Günter Reiter; Amphiphilic Polymers at Interfaces, by Katarzyna Kita-Tokarczyk, Mathias Junginger, Serena Belegrinou and Andreas Taubert;
This book is concerned with polymeric hydrogels, which are considered as one of the most promising types of new polymer-based materials. Each chapter in this book describes a selected class of polymeric hydrogels, such as superabsorbent hybrid nanohydrogels, conducting polymer hydrogels, polysaccharide-based or protein-based hydrogels, or gels based on synthetic polymers. In this way, the book also addresses some of the fascinating properties and applications of polymeric hydrogels: they are three-dimensional, hydrophilic, polymeric networks that can absorb, swell and retain large quantities of water or aqueous fluids. In combination with metal nanoparticles, nanofibrils or nanowhiskers, which may be embedded in the gels, they find widespread applications, ranging from agriculture, and waste water treatment, over electronics, to pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. Applications mentioned in this book include electro sensors, capacitors, electromechanical actuators, and even artificial muscles.
This book reviews and discusses the development of self-assembled nanomaterials applied in biomedical fields. Based on self-assembled nanomaterial constructions, it highlights the mechanisms of the stimuli-response-induced assembly/disassembly and transformation. Moreover, it examines healthcare-related diseases, the applications of nanomaterials and therapy/detection strategies, providing readers with both a deeper understanding of the subject and inspirations for future research. The book is primarily intended for researchers and graduate students in the fields of material sciences and chemistry who wish to learn about the principles, methods, mechanisms and biomedical applications of self-assembled nanomaterials.
Polymer Nanocomposite-Based Smart Materials: From Synthesis to Application provides a broad, comprehensive review on all major categories of smart materials and their preparation routes. The main application fields and properties for these diverse types of smart polymer-based composite and nanocomposite materials are also discussed. Chapters on modeling methods and simulation look at the physical or chemical change response that is introduced by the effect of changing environmental conditions such as pH, temperature, mechanical force and light. Written by scholars and experts from around the globe, the book covers key aspects, such as synthesis, processing and applications of polymer and nanocomposite-based smart materials. - Features a board range of different polymer nanocomposites-based smart materials - Contains coverage of synthesis applications as well as experimental, modeling and theoretical results - Includes comprehensive coverage on preparation and testing methods
This book encompasses the fundamental concepts of Nanochemistry that involve the self-assemblage of nanostructures, surface stabilization, and functionalization of nanoparticles. It’s a review of the work of world-renowned scientists and is the first of its kind that gives a detailed fundamental understanding of physical, chemical, and biological methods of nanoparticle synthesis. There is a comprehension of different characterization techniques of nanoparticles. This book, for the first time, explains applications of such nanochemicals in nanomedicine, nanoimmunomedicine, lab-on-a-chip, organ-on-a-chip, bioimplants, cyborgs, hydrogen storage, electrochemical splitting of water, and construction industries.