Mechanical Characterization of Alternating Magnetic Field Responsive Hydrogels at Micro-scale

Abstract

Magnetically responsive hydrogels has become an interesting subject of study as they offer several potential advantages over other material systems for the controlled release of drugs, local heating of the tumors leaving all other regions unaffected and the temperature control within as well as outside the target region due to their response to the magnetic stimuli [1]. Magnetite provides the most attractive magnetic material of common use due to its strong magnetic property and low toxicity [2]. The integration of magnetic nano-particles in hydrogel therefore provide a new generation of material system for many potential applications, like magnetic pump, mimmicking muscular movements, soft robotic actuators and magneto-optical sensors or to develop magnetic force based immunoassay [3]. Hydrogels based on poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) is a well known thermoresponsive polymer that undergoes a volume phase transition across the lower critical solution temperature (LCST, 32-33). Therefore, the inherent temperature-sensitive swelling/shrinkage properties of PNIPAM offer the potential to control gel performance with an alternating electromagnetic field.KeywordsLower Critical Solution TemperatureVolume Phase TransitionThermoresponsive PolymerResponsive HydrogelMicromechanical TestingThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.