Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Meagan Elinski, Chemistry
Document Type
Poster
Event Date
4-12-2024
Abstract
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint condition, with treatments currently limited to symptom management and invasive surgical procedures. This project investigates the fundamental mechanisms for a potential treatment route that would allow soft material nanocomposites to form within the joint through mechanochemical reactions. To gain fundamental insight into the different chemical pathways for this to occur, this work compares a top-down vs bottom-up approach. The top-down method focuses on the influence of applied oscillatory mechanical stresses on bulk hydrogel polymerization. Polyacrylamide (PAM) is used as a well-studied control system. PAM-nanocomposites were achieved through co-polymerization, with gold nanoparticles with different capping ligands directly added to the PAM precursor solution. A rheometer was used to simultaneously apply the small angle oscillatory shear and monitor gelation time. Initial results indicate decreased gelation time for PAM-nanocomposites with gold nanoparticle capping ligands of citrate and CTAB (cetyltrimethylammonium), relative to no nanoparticles present. Accelerated gelation times, relative to no nanoparticles present, were observed for PVP (polyvinylpyrrolidone) and PAA (polyacrylic acid) capping ligands. Comparing molecular structure vs chemical functionalities, these results suggest structure (e.g. polymer-based capping ligands, PVP and PAA) over functionality (e.g. hydrogen bonding for PAA and citric acid, but not CTAB and to a lesser degree PVP) influences gelation time. The complementary bottom-up method uses a 3-metharcyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane functionalized silica surface and AFM as a nanoscale single point sliding contact to grow a surface bound PAM hydrogel film. Future work will continue to quantify these pathways, examining reactions within a stress-assisted Arrhenius model.
Recommended Citation
Repository citation: Couturier, Bryn; Buckley, Lauren; and Bovia, Connor, "Mechanochemical Formation of Polyacrylamide Nanocomposites: Impact of Nanoparticle Surface Chemistry and Substrate Functionalization" (2024). 23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024). Paper 18.
https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/curca_23/18
April 12, 2024. Copyright © 2024 Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
Comments
This work was supported by the Hope College Chemistry Department, the Division of Natural & Applied Sciences, and Donors of the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund.
Additional authors appear on poster that are not listed in the abstract booklet: Lauren Buckley and Connor Bovia.