Rebecca May Gant

US Patent:

20100056894, Mar 4, 2010

Filed:

May 1, 2009

Appl. No.:

12/434550

Inventors:

Rebecca M. Gant - College Station TX, US
Melissa A. Grunlan - College Station TX, US
Yaping Hou - College Station TX, US

International Classification:

A61B 5/145
G01N 27/26
C08L 83/04
B08B 7/00

US Classification:

600365, 20440301, 525100, 134 19, 600309

Abstract:

The present disclosure relates, according to some embodiments, to compositions, devices, systems, and methods including and/or for preparing and/or using a thermoresponsive nanocomposite hydrogel. In some embodiments, the disclosure relates to methods of preparing a hydrogel including, for example, photochemically curing an aqueous solution of NIPAAm and copoly(dimethylsiloxane/methylvinylsiloxane) colloidal nanoparticles (219 nm). At temperatures above a volume phase transition temperature (VPTT) of 33-34 C., a hydrogel may deswell and become hydrophobic, while lowering the temperature below a VPTT may cause the hydrogel to swell and become hydrophilic.