
Multi-scale mechanical and transport properties of a hydrogel.
In this paper, molecular dynamic simulation was used to study the effect of water on the equilibrated structure and mechanical properties of cross-linked hydrogel at multiple scales. The hydrogel consisted of Polyethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (PEGDGE) as epoxy and the Jeffamine, poly-oxy-alkylene-amines, as curing agent. The results for systems with various water contents indicated that the cross-links were more hydrophilic within the hydrogel structure. Effects of cross-linking on the transport properties were also investigated by computing diffusion coefficients of water molecules. A new Coarse-Grained (CG) scheme for hydrogels is proposed, and validated by comparing the transport properties with the all-atom method, demonstrating the capability of the model to capture the correct dynamic evolution of the system. The all-atom model of the hydrogel was mapped to the CG model using the MARTINI force field. This method resulted in a more realistic representation of the stiffness of the system, compared to the previous experimental studies in the literature. The variation of the stiffness of the hydrogel as a function of the water content showed that 40% water content is the optimal value for mechanical performance of the hydrogel.
Duke Scholars
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Related Subject Headings
- Water
- Polyethylene Glycols
- Motion
- Molecular Dynamics Simulation
- Molecular Conformation
- Mechanical Phenomena
- Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate
- Diffusion
- Biomedical Engineering
- Amines
Citation

Published In
DOI
EISSN
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Start / End Page
Related Subject Headings
- Water
- Polyethylene Glycols
- Motion
- Molecular Dynamics Simulation
- Molecular Conformation
- Mechanical Phenomena
- Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate
- Diffusion
- Biomedical Engineering
- Amines