ARS | Publication request: Rheological properties of a biological thermo-responsive hydrogel produced from soybean oil polymers

Submitted to: American Chemical Society National Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: August 19, 2012
Publication Date: August 19, 2012
Citation: Xu, J., Liu, Z., Kim, S., Liu, S.X. 2012. Rheological properties of a biological thermo-responsive hydrogel produced from soybean oil polymers [abstract]. American Chemical Society National Meeting.

Technical Abstract: The rheological properties of a newly developed biological thermo-hydrogel made from vegetable oil were investigated. The material named HPSO-HG is a hydrolytic product of polymerized soybean oil (PSO). HPSO-HG is a thermo-responsive gel, and it exhibited viscoelastic behavior above 2% (wt.%) at room temperature and viscous fluid behavior at 55°C. The viscoelastic properties of HPSO-HG were strongly dependent on concentration. The analysis of modulus and concentration dependence and stress relaxation measurement indicated that HPSO-HG was a physical gel meaning the cross-linkers between the molecules were physical junctions. HPSO-HG hydrogel also showed fast initial partially recovery of its viscoelastic properties after being subject to a mechanical shear disruption. The function and behavior of the HPSO-HG hydrogel suggest that this biomaterial be a potential candidate for applications in cosmetic products, drug delivery, and wound skin care products.