Polyelectrolyte Hydrogels: Assembly and Properties

This lecture covers the swelling and shrinking behavior of hydrogels, the deformation and shear modulus of hydrogels, stress-strain behavior, and the mechanical properties of hydrogels. It also discusses the applications of hydrogels in wound healing, drug delivery, contact lenses, food, and tissue engineering. The lecture delves into the crosslinking of hydrogels, including ionically crosslinked hydrogels and catechol-crosslinked hydrogels. It explores the self-healing properties of hydrogels and the influence of ions on their properties. Additionally, it examines the tuning of viscoelastic properties and the assembly of polyelectrolyte multilayers, highlighting the importance of assembly conditions and the properties of polyelectrolyte hydrogels.