Background Information

Hydrogels are polymeric matrixes that swell but don’t dissolve in water. They swell because of their high thermodynamical affinity. Hydrogels absorb large amounts of water, trapping it inside their large network of covalent bonds. This creates a large network of saturated hydrogel molecules that has special mechanical properties like shock absorbance and a high specific heat capacity. These characteristics, coupled with a high versatility and a high tunability of material’s properties, lead to deep research and exploitation of hydrogels. There are many applications for hydrogels, including contact lenses and diapers, but research is still being done about them to this day.

Of the available hydrogels provided for us:

• Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA)                                
• Gelatin
• Agarose

We will be using PVA as our base hydrogel and experiment with other additives such as fiberglass and borax to strengthen its qualities. This is because PVA has the highest shock absorbing properties of the three hydrogels provided.

We will be cross-linking our hydrogel with borax and fiberglass, which will increase the stability of the product and increase its mechanical properties. Cross-linking is done during the hydrogel formation process through a series of freezing and thawing cycles. This allows the PVA to crystallize and the two materials to bond together, interacting in the finished product.

for more information about hydrogels, please visit the links below:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5784874/

https://eic.rsc.org/feature/high-hopes-for-hydrogels/3007331

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/hydrogel.