title: Fabrication and modulation of magnetically supramolecular hydrogels.
abstract: For the fabrication of magnetically supramolecular hydrogels, the aqueous colloidal dispersion of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles was first stabilized by an amphiphilic poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-PCL) block copolymer and then mixed with an aqueous solution of a cyclic oligosaccharide. Due to the host-guest interaction between the used block copolymer and the cyclic oligosaccharide in the aqueous mixed system, such a fabrication process could result in the formation of a novel hydrogel nanocomposite with superparamagnetic property, as confirmed by the analyses from rheology and X-ray diffraction as well as magnetization curve measurements. For the resultant magnetically supramolecular hydrogel, its formation kinetics and mechanical strength could be modulated by the amount of the used PEG-PCL block copolymer, the cyclic oligosaccharide, or the incorporated iron oxide nanoparticles.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Polymer Composite and Functional Materials, Institute of Optoelectronic and Functional Composite Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen Zhongshan University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Li-Ming
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry*; D008280:Magnetics; D053758:Nanoparticles; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D020100:Hydrogels