Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Fabrication
Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Fabrication - Related Videos
09:06
Preparation of DNA-crosslinked Polyacrylamide Hydrogels
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Cited by 5 •
2014
Our laboratory has developed DNA-crosslinked polyacrylamide hydrogels, a dynamic hydrogel system, to better understand the effects of modulating tissue stiffness on cell function. Here, we provide schematics, descriptions, and protocols to prepare these hydrogels.
07:25
Collagen Hydrogels
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2023
Collagen is another widely used biomaterial that has found popularity in commercial applications, such as photography. Collagen has more recently been used in tissue engineering applications, by creating hydrogels that provide structure to engineered tissue. This video introduces collagen as a biomaterial, demonstrates how it is harvested from porcine skin, and shows how the material is used to create a hydrogel for tissue engineering applications. Finally, several applications of the material...
16:06
Fabrication of Micropatterned Hydrogels for Neural Culture Systems using Dynamic Mask Projection Photolithography
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Cited by 46 •
2011
Simple techniques are described for the rapid production of microfabricated neural culture systems using a digital micromirror device for dynamic mask projection lithography on regular cell culture substrates. These culture systems may be more representative of natural biological architecture, and the techniques described could be adapted for numerous applications.
08:33
Hydrogel Synthesis
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2023
Source: Amber N. Barron, Ashlea Patterson, and Taylor D. Sparks, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT Hydrogels are a versatile class of cross-linked polymers produced through relatively simple procedures and with generally inexpensive materials. They can be formed from solution and involve a polymer backbone formed from monomer reagents, an initiator which makes the polymer reactive and a crosslinking species which binds the polymer chains...
09:47
FRET Imaging in Three-dimensional Hydrogels
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Cited by 3 •
2016
Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) imaging is a powerful tool for real-time cell biology studies. Here a method for FRET imaging cells in physiologic three-dimensional (3D) hydrogel microenvironments using conventional epifluorescence microscopy is presented. An analysis for ratiometric FRET probes that yields linear ratios over the activation range is described.
FAQs
During fabrication, an initiator generates free radicals that trigger polymerization of acrylamide and bis-acrylamide. The growing chains become linked through the crosslinker, producing a three-dimensional network rather than isolated polymer chains. Chemical or photochemical initiation provides alternative ways to start this reaction, while controlled polymerization conditions help maintain reproducible material formation.
Monomer and crosslinker concentrations are the main composition variables in polyacrylamide hydrogel fabrication. Changing either can alter network density and, consequently, physical properties such as stiffness and swelling. Researchers adjust these concentrations to produce materials with different mechanical environments, allowing the hydrogel design to match the needs of a particular bioengineering experiment.
Network density matters because it influences the matrix mechanics experienced by cultured cells. Those mechanical differences can affect cell adhesion, spreading, migration, and differentiation. Controlling density therefore allows researchers to study how physical properties of a surrounding material influence cell behavior, rather than treating the hydrogel as a passive support with fixed characteristics.
A basic workflow combines acrylamide, bis-acrylamide, and a chemical or photochemical initiator, followed by polymerization under controlled conditions. The formulation determines the resulting network, so researchers must regulate monomer concentration, crosslinker concentration, and relevant polymerization conditions. Careful control of these variables supports reproducible hydrogels for subsequent bioengineering experiments.
Thorough washing helps remove residual reagents remaining after polymerization. This preparation step is important before biological use because the hydrogel will serve as a cell culture substrate, tissue-mimicking material, or experimental matrix. Removing residual components supports more appropriate interpretation of cell responses by reducing the influence of unincorporated fabrication reagents.
Polyacrylamide hydrogels can function as cell culture substrates, tissue-mimicking materials, and platforms for investigating matrix mechanics. In these settings, researchers examine outcomes including cell adhesion, spreading, migration, and differentiation. Their tunable composition makes them useful for connecting engineered material properties with cellular behavior in bioengineering research.