Responsive polymeric materials – summarized under the term smart soft matter – are becoming a highly studied field not only in basic synthetic approaches and sophisticated characterization, but especially with regard to their use in technical applications, e.g. as sensors and actuators in microsystems and microfluidic applications since they are able as volume gels to carried out mechanical work reacting on a chemical stimulus. In addition, compartimentalization becomes an issue for being able to localize specific actions and reactions e.g. by preparing nano- and microcapsules equipped with stimuli-responsive shells and membranes or by patterning specific hydrogel compartments. We will report on the preparation and integration of responsive and biocompatible hydrogel dots and hydrogel dot arrays of high flow and shear stability in microfluidic channel and chamber reactors. Within those hydrogel microcompartments, enzymes could be integrated and stabilized which allowed to undertake various cascade enzyme reactions in the microfluidic setup for up to 4 weeks still keeping activity of the enzymes. Furthermore, mechanochemical, multiresponsive hydrogels are developed making use of an interpenetrating network approach (see Figure) as well as the concept of graft copolymer networks for retaining responsivity for up to four different stimuli in one hydrogel leading to high volume change. The hydrogels have been adapted for integration into microfluidic devices as mechanochemical gels, adjusting degree of swelling as well as mechanical stability and allowing their use as effective sensors and actuators accomplishing chemical valve function. First examples of their use as chemical transistors and the development of logical modules for achieving basic logic gate functions through a microfluidic setup will be also presented.

Multifunctional mechanochemical hydrogels as selective compartments and actuators in microfluidic applications

254th National Meeting (2017)

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