| dc.description.abstract | The distribution of water within and its relation to the electrical impedance of electroconductive hydrogels (ECH) is of interest in developing stimuli-responsive hydrogel membranes for in-dwelling biomedical sensors. Poly(2-hydroxyl methacrylate)-based hydrogels possessing 2-aminoethyl methacrylate hydrochloride (AEMA) and 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) were synthesized and studied for their degree of hydration, water distribution (free and bound water content), and glass transition temperature. Additionally, AC electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and equivalent circuit analysis of synthesized hydrogels with increasing amounts (0, 0.1, 1.0 and 10.0 wt%) of PAn-PAMPSA was conducted. Using gravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), the degree of hydration and distribution of water was found to be significantly affected by inclusion of DMAEMA (hydrophobic) but not AEMA (hydrophilic). The inclusion of DMAEMA significantly decreased overall hydration, increased free water content, and decreased bound water content in the hydrogel. Additionally, the glass transition temperature determined using DSC was found to be significantly increased by the inclusion of DMAEMA, but no significant change was observed for AEMA inclusion. EIS revealed a significant impact of both AEMA and DMAEMA on the membrane resistance of ECHs. The inclusion of PAn-PAMPSA in 5M% HEMA hydrogel produced a simple scaling of the membrane resistance, RM, with inclusion composition. The membrane resistance for the AEMA and DMAEMA containing ECHs showed membrane resistances that were dependent upon the nature of the hydrogel as well as the wt% of the PAn-PAMPSA inclusion. | en |
