title: Mechanical properties of a reversible, DNA-crosslinked polyacrylamide hydrogel.
abstract: Mechanical properties of a polyacrylamide gel with reversible DNA crosslinks are presented. In this system, three DNA strands replace traditional chemical crosslinkers. In contrast to thermoset chemically crosslinked polyacrylamide, the new hydrogel is thermoreversible; crosslink dissociation without the addition of heat is also feasible by introducing a specific removal DNA strand. This hydrogel is characterized by a critical crosslink concentration at which gelation occurs. Below the critical point, a characteristic temperature exists at which a transition in viscosity is observed. Both temperature-dependent viscosity and elastic modulus of the material are functions of crosslink density.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, 98 Brett Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yurke
authors.forename: Noshir A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Langrana
mesh_terms: D000180:Acrylic Resins / Q000737:chemistry*; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000737:chemistry*; D004548:Elasticity; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008422:Materials Testing; D019563:Mechanics; D009841:Oligonucleotides / Q000737:chemistry*; D044367:Phase Transition; D013696:Temperature; D044366:Transition Temperature; D014783:Viscosity
chemical_list: D000180:Acrylic Resins; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D009841:Oligonucleotides; C016680:polyacrylamide gels