User:Andrew K Farag/Notebook/CHEM-581/2014/10/31

Biomaterials Design Lab

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Objective Create hydrogels using the method described on Wednesday. Create fibrous PVA-Clay samples using the method described by Eleni on Tuesday. Description Hydrogel Synthesis Two hydrogels were synthesized using Tuesday's procedure. The majority of the acetone and HCl were removed from the hydrogels and each were placed in separate Falcon tubes filled with water. These tubes were then placed in the freezer. They will be frozen and thawed repeatedly to see if this makes the gel more porous and capable of filtration. PVA-Clay Fiber Synthesis A PVA-Clay sample was created by adding 1 g of PVA and 0.11 g of sodium montmorillonite to 7 mL of 10% HCl. This was mixed thoroughly until no clumps of PVA or clay were left in the solution. A column containing a 1:14 mixture of Gluteraldehyde and Acetone was prepared by mixing the two solutions and using that solution to fill a buret. The PVA-Clay solution was added to the column in a dropwise fashion using a Pasteur pipette. This formed fibers of PVA-Clay polymers. These Fibers were removed from the column and place in a Falcon tube with DI water.