Nanoengineering of a biocompatible organogel by thermal processing.
The formation of most organogels requires the compatibility of both the gelator and solvent. It is very desirable if the rheological properties of a gel can be manipulated to achieve the desired performance. In this paper, a novel organogel was developed and its rheological properties and fiber network were engineered by controlling the thermal processing conditions. The gel was formed by the gelation of 12-hydroxystearic acid as a gelator in benzyl benzoate. It was observed that the degree of supercooling for gel formation has a significant effect on the rheological properties and fiber network structure. By increasing supercooling, the elasticity of the gel was enhanced, and the correlation length of the fibers was shortened, leading to the formation of denser fiber networks. The good biocompatibility of both the gelator and solvent makes this gel a promising vehicle for a variety of bioapplications such as controlled transdermal drug release and in vivo tissue repair.
Li
Jing-Liang
JL
Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117542.
Wang
Rong-Yao
RY
Liu
Xiang-Yang
XY
Pan
Hai-Hua
HH
D001565:Benzoates / Q000737:chemistry*; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D005782:Gels / Q000737:chemistry; D036103:Nanotechnology; D010316:Particle Size; D012212:Rheology; D013229:Stearic Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties; D013696:Temperature
D001565:Benzoates; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D005782:Gels; D013229:Stearic Acids; C006723:benzyl benzoate