Effects of crosslinker density on the polymer network structure in poly-,-dimethylacrylamide hydrogels

Fukazawa, Tomoko*; Ikeda, Naohiro*; Tabata, Mayu*; Hattori, Masataka*; Aizawa, Mamoru*; Yunoki, Shunji*; Sekine, Yurina   

To investigate the effects of crosslinker density on the properties of hydrogels, compression tests, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and Raman measurements were performed on poly-,-dimethylacrylamide hydrogels. The results of the compression tests showed that the Young's modulus increases as the crosslinker density increases. In addition, the results suggest that the bound water plays an important role in strengthening the hydrogel. The water structure may be one of the dominant factors governing the chemical and physical properties of hydrogels.