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Full-Text Articles in Engineering
Hydrogel-Based Nanocomposites And Laser-Assisted Surface Modification For Biomedical Application, Pei Yin
Hydrogel-Based Nanocomposites And Laser-Assisted Surface Modification For Biomedical Application, Pei Yin
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Hydrogels can be used in contact lens, wound dressing, drug delivery and tissue scaffolds due to their good biocompatibility. However, the poor mechanical properties and non-specific protein adsorption of hydrogels limit their applications. The adverse effects of protein adsorption in hydrogels include biofouling, inflammation, or even body rejection. In this project, two different hydrogel materials, co-polymer 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate with a low amount of 2-aminoethyl methacrylate, p(HEMA-co-AEMA) and silicone hydrogel were fabricated by photo-polymerization; the former has hydrophilic surface and the latter is hydrophobic. The silica (SiO2) nanoparticle-loaded hydrogels have been developed by using in situ polymerization. The dispersion …
Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Nanocomposite Hydrogels For Intervertebral Disc Prostheses, Elaine Wong
Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Nanocomposite Hydrogels For Intervertebral Disc Prostheses, Elaine Wong
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Spinal fusion is currently the gold standard for surgical intervention of intervertebral disc (IVD) diseases leading to neck and back pain failing conservative treatments. However, fusion removes motion between the vertebrae and can result in adjacent level degeneration. Total disc replacement (TDR) is an emerging treatment alternative that preserves motion, but materials found in clinically available devices bear little resemblance to the properties of the native IVD. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels are biocompatible, have mechanical behaviour similar to natural tissues, and properties that can be tuned by varying polymer concentration and physical crosslinking through freeze-thaw cycling. Furthermore, their properties can …
Synthesis And Characterization Of Graphene-Polymer Nanocomposites Via Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain-Transfer Polymerization, Renpeng Gu
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Graphene has emerged as a subject of tremendous scientific interest due to its exceptional electrical, mechanical and thermal properties. When incorporated into a polymer matrix, graphene sheets can significantly improve the properties of the host polymer. However, the dispersion of pure graphene throughout a polymer matrix is not homogeneous, due to the strong van der Waals interactions between graphene sheets and the difference in surface compatabilities. To prevent agglomeration of these graphene sheets, surface functionalization is required. The goal of this thesis was to develop a facile approach for growing polymer chains from the surface of graphene sheets via reversible …