At our 2024 GCI Postdoc Showcase, Postdoctoral Fellow E. Daniel Cárdenas-Vásquez presented a poster about ionic microgel pastes. To learn more about his research, reach out to Dr. E. Daniel Cárdenas-Vásquez at cardenasvasquez@chapman.edu.

ABSTRACT: My research aims to design new materials using ULC microgels useful in fields like additive manufacturing, regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, etc. by creating highly packed microgel assemblies with advantageous rheological and mechanical properties. In the development of these materials for biological applications, we investigate their properties in media appropriate for biological studies, such as PBS buffers. However, upon further investigation under these conditions, the materials showed divergent properties when compared to similar materials, such as slow dissolution in PBS-containing media. The ionic content also significantly impacts the mechanical properties of the pastes. To address these unique experimental observations, we investigate the role of charges, charge displacement and net charge effects on the microgel-microgel interactions within the ULC pastes. Since we need to probe very small time- and length-scales, we use a computational approach using Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD) both with a bottom-top approach for a higher resolution of the interionic interactions and intermolecular forces, as well as a bottom-top for a more cost-effective methodology.