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Switchable friction of stimulus-responsive hydrogels.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Chang, DP; Dolbow, JE; Zauscher, S
Published in: Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids
January 2007

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAAm) gels are stimulus-responsive hydrogels that exhibit large reversible changes in their volume and surface physicochemical properties near the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) in response to external stimuli, such as a change in temperature or solvent composition. Here we report how different phase states, induced isothermally by changes in the solvent composition, affect the tribological properties of pNIPAAm hydrogels. Our measurements indicate that gels in a collapsed conformation (above the LCST) exhibit significantly more friction than swollen gels (below the LCST) at low shear rates. These differences arise from changes in the surface roughness, adhesive interactions, and chain entanglements of the gel surfaces associated with the phase transition. Importantly, we show that the changes in friction, triggered by an external stimulus, are reversible. These reversible and possibly tunable changes in friction may have a significant impact on the design of coatings for biosensors and for actuation devices based on stimulus-responsive hydrogels.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids

DOI

EISSN

1520-5827

ISSN

0743-7463

Publication Date

January 2007

Volume

23

Issue

1

Start / End Page

250 / 257

Related Subject Headings

  • Surface Properties
  • Materials Testing
  • Hydrogels
  • Friction
  • Chemical Physics
  • Acrylic Resins
 

Citation

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Chang, D. P., Dolbow, J. E., & Zauscher, S. (2007). Switchable friction of stimulus-responsive hydrogels. Langmuir : The ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids, 23(1), 250–257. https://doi.org/10.1021/la0617006
Chang, Debby P., John E. Dolbow, and Stefan Zauscher. “Switchable friction of stimulus-responsive hydrogels.Langmuir : The ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids 23, no. 1 (January 2007): 250–57. https://doi.org/10.1021/la0617006.
Chang DP, Dolbow JE, Zauscher S. Switchable friction of stimulus-responsive hydrogels. Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids. 2007 Jan;23(1):250–7.
Chang, Debby P., et al. “Switchable friction of stimulus-responsive hydrogels.Langmuir : The ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids, vol. 23, no. 1, Jan. 2007, pp. 250–57. Epmc, doi:10.1021/la0617006.
Chang DP, Dolbow JE, Zauscher S. Switchable friction of stimulus-responsive hydrogels. Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids. 2007 Jan;23(1):250–257.
Journal cover image

Published In

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids

DOI

EISSN

1520-5827

ISSN

0743-7463

Publication Date

January 2007

Volume

23

Issue

1

Start / End Page

250 / 257

Related Subject Headings

  • Surface Properties
  • Materials Testing
  • Hydrogels
  • Friction
  • Chemical Physics
  • Acrylic Resins