Journal
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
Volume 27, Issue 17, Pages 5925-5931Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.5b01860
Keywords
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Funding
- European Union's Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development, and demonstration through NAPES project [604241]
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Reversible light-responsive hydrogel valves with response characteristics compatible for microfluidics have been obtained by optimization of molecular design of spiropyran photoswitches and gel composition. Self-protonating gel formulations were exploited, wherein acrylic acid was copolymerized in the hydrogel network as an internal proton donor, to achieve a swollen state of the hydrogel in water at neutral pH. Light-responsive properties were endowed upon the hydrogels by copolymerization of spiropyran chromophores, using electron withdrawing and donating groups to tune the gel-swelling and shrinkage behavior. In all cases, the shrinkage was determined by the water diffusion rate, while for the swelling the isomerization kinetics is the rate-determining step. For one hydrogel, reversible and reproducible volume changes were observed. Finally, gel-valves integrated within microfluidic channels were fabricated, allowing reversible and repeatable operation, with opening and closing of the valve in minutes.
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