MikroMasch® HQ: CSC37/No Al probes were recently used in a study titled “Responsiveness of Charged Double Network Hydrogels to Ionic Environment”Tue Oct 07 2025
MikroMasch® HQ: CSC37/No Al probes were recently used in a study by Lee, Shrotriya and Espinosa-Marzal titled “Responsiveness of Charged Double Network Hydrogels to Ionic Environment”, published in Advanced Functional Materials. In their work, interactions between the hydrogel and the ionic environment are shown to induce structural changes – those in turn impact surface properties, which are characterized using in-liquid AFM and chemically functionalized tips.
Illustration of the AgPAAc hydrogel microstructure and its intermolecular forces in response to added ions. The microstructure comprises an agarose scaffold (black) with interconnecting polyacrylic acid (orange/yellow). The dark blue block represents the AFM tip (unmodified (-) or functionalized (+)). The double network strengthens hydrogels, with distinct contributions of the two polymers and their concentrations. Hydrogel charging is regulated by the limited swelling of the double network, the weak polyelectrolyte effect, and charge screening. A tunable behavior in response to salt concentration is enabled and depends on composition. A) 2Ag and 2Ag5.6PAAc hydrogels: High swelling and charge density; Competition between electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonding. B) 3Ag5.6PAAc hydrogels: Intermediate swelling and charge density. Greater tunability of adhesion and surface stiffness by adding salt compared to 2Ag5.6PAAc DN hydrogels. Electrostatic forces outweigh hydrogen bonding. C) 3Ag9PAAc hydrogels: High toughness, low swelling, and low charge density. Increasing the polyacrylic concentration in the double network reverses the change of surface stiffness and adhesion upon the addition of salt due to charge regulation.
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