Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Photonic Crystal Hydrogels: Simulation, Fabrication & Biomedical Application, Mehenur Sarwar

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Photonic crystal (PhC) hydrogels are a unique class of material that has tremendous promise as biomedical sensors. The underlying crystal structure allows for simple analysis of microstructural properties by assessing the diffraction pattern generated following laser illumination. The hydrogel medium provides elasticity, regenerability, and potential functionalization. Combining these two properties, photonic crystal hydrogels have the potential for sensing physical forces and chemical reagents using a low-cost, reusable platform.

The development of biomedical sensors using this material is limited due to the lack of a method to accurately predict the diffraction pattern generated. To overcome this, a computational model was developed …