Surface Lubrication of Hydrogel via Multi-Layered Marble Formation
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초록
내용
Hydrogel is a 3D network of hydrophilic polymer with large amount of water. It has elasticity, biocompatibility, and environmental responsiveness. However, the major drawback of hydrogel is dehydration in air and loses its characteristics. To improve long-term stability, many studies have developed how to cover hydrophobic oil or polymer on hydrogel. We present a multi-layered marble (MLM) formation on hydrogel with a hydrophobic oil coating to prevent dehydration. Liquid marble is a free-standing droplet covered with hydrophobic solid particles at the air/liquid interface. The solid coating prevents the encapsulated liquid from directly wetting on the external substrate. The first stabilizing particles help the oil to cover the hydrogel homogeneously, and the second stabilizing particles cover the thin oil layer like sandwich. This MLM structure efficiently suppresses water evaporation and doesn`t affect hydrogel's mechanical properties due to the fluidic oil layer.