A novel category of hydrogel material has been developed (Hawker, Kramer)that form spontaneously in water through complexation of polyelectrolyte endblocks of PEG-based triblock polyelectrolytes—inspired by Waite’s mussel adhesion studies.
SANS (Kramer) and dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP)-enhanced NMR; (Han) reveal that these complexes form dense, yet fluid, coacervate core domains with significant ordering.
Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at UCSB
The NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at UC Santa Barbara develops and sustains a productive, collaborative, and engaged community that drives a portfolio of transformative materials research and empowers a diverse workforce.