Photo-Switchable Cross-Linking in Polymer Gels: Effects on Surface Creasing and Network Relaxation during Swelling
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arXiv
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| Autores principales: | , , , , , , , |
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| Formato: | Preprint |
| Publicado: |
2025
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| _version_ | 1866914153659105280 |
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| author | VanZanten, Alyssa Punhani-Schillinger, Surbhi Blocksome, M. Reed Ketkar, Aditya Chen, Shih-Yuan Driscoll, Michelle M. Ferrier, Jr., Robert C. Szczepanski, Caroline R. |
| author_facet | VanZanten, Alyssa Punhani-Schillinger, Surbhi Blocksome, M. Reed Ketkar, Aditya Chen, Shih-Yuan Driscoll, Michelle M. Ferrier, Jr., Robert C. Szczepanski, Caroline R. |
| contents | Polymer gels with photo-responsive cross-links enable tunable mechanics and surface morphologies, making them promising for adaptive materials. While prior work on coumarin cross-linked gels has focused on photo-mediated events in dilute solution, their network-level mechanical responses remain unclear. Here, we design PEG hydrogels with both permanent covalent and dynamic coumarin cross-links, allowing in situ modulation of cross-linking under wavelength specific UV light. Real-time FTIR and dynamic mechanical analysis show that post-cure 365 nm irradiation drives rapid dimerization, increasing storage modulus by up to 69\%, whereas cleavage of coumarin cross-links via 254 nm post-cure irradiation has a more limited effect due to attenuation in bulk samples. Surface imaging reveals that dynamic cross-linking governs swelling-induced crease formation and evolution. Together, these results establish design principles for hydrogels with programmable mechanics and adaptive surface topographies, advancing application in smart coatings, actuators, and responsive biomaterials. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_09520 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Photo-Switchable Cross-Linking in Polymer Gels: Effects on Surface Creasing and Network Relaxation during Swelling VanZanten, Alyssa Punhani-Schillinger, Surbhi Blocksome, M. Reed Ketkar, Aditya Chen, Shih-Yuan Driscoll, Michelle M. Ferrier, Jr., Robert C. Szczepanski, Caroline R. Soft Condensed Matter Polymer gels with photo-responsive cross-links enable tunable mechanics and surface morphologies, making them promising for adaptive materials. While prior work on coumarin cross-linked gels has focused on photo-mediated events in dilute solution, their network-level mechanical responses remain unclear. Here, we design PEG hydrogels with both permanent covalent and dynamic coumarin cross-links, allowing in situ modulation of cross-linking under wavelength specific UV light. Real-time FTIR and dynamic mechanical analysis show that post-cure 365 nm irradiation drives rapid dimerization, increasing storage modulus by up to 69\%, whereas cleavage of coumarin cross-links via 254 nm post-cure irradiation has a more limited effect due to attenuation in bulk samples. Surface imaging reveals that dynamic cross-linking governs swelling-induced crease formation and evolution. Together, these results establish design principles for hydrogels with programmable mechanics and adaptive surface topographies, advancing application in smart coatings, actuators, and responsive biomaterials. |
| title | Photo-Switchable Cross-Linking in Polymer Gels: Effects on Surface Creasing and Network Relaxation during Swelling |
| topic | Soft Condensed Matter |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.09520 |