This symposium will address both fundamental and applied aspects of polymer gels, which are defined as chemically or physically cross-linked synthetic or natural polymers swollen by a solvent. These can be used in a wealth of applications, depending on the solvent type and loading, the polymer backbone, and the cross-linking mechanism and density. Applications include drug delivery, biomedical implants, biomimetic materials and tissue engineering, food and cosmetics, sensors, electronic components, separation systems, displays, fuel cells and energy storage devices, MEMS, and optical devices. While polymer gels have been studied extensively for quite some time, applications continue to be limited by important challenges, such as phase behavior, temperature extremes, environmental interactions, etc. For example, biocompatibility remains a critical issue in biomedical applications. Similarly, broad temperature performance and processibility are critical challenges for nonbiological applications. This symposium will address the challenges by focusing on three target areas: 1) fundamental physics and thermodynamics of gels, 2) biomaterial applications of hydrogels, and 3) applications of non-aqueous polymer gels.
Session Topics
Papers are solicited in, but not limited to, the following areas:
- Characterization techniques
- Phase behavior/gel microstructure
- Transport in polymer gels
- Mechanical properties/adhesion
- Impact of processing/manufacturing challenges and solutions
- Theoretical modeling
- Applications of hydrogels and non-aqueous gels
- Drug delivery
- Tissue engineering
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Invited Speakers
Invited speakers include: K. Anseth (Univ. of Colorado), D. Beebe (Univ. of Wisconsin), T. Deming (Univ. of California-Santa Barbara), J.F. Douglas (National Inst. of Standards and Technology), C.-Y. Hui (Cornell Univ.), J.F. Joanny (Univ. Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France), J.L. Lenhart (Sandia National Labs), P.B. Messersmith (Northwestern Univ.), G.F. Payne (Univ. of Maryland), D.J. Pochan (Univ. of Delaware), and M. Yamato (Women's Medical Univ., Japan). |
Joint Sessions
A joint session is anticipated with Symposium K: Biological and Bio-Inspired Materials and Devices .
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Symposium Organizers
Phillip J. Cole
Sandia National Laboratories
MS 0958
P.O. Box 5800
Albuquerque, NM 87185
Tel: 505-284-9431
Fax: 505-844-2894
pjcole@sandia.gov |
Costantino Creton
Laboratoire PCSM-ESPCI
10 Rue Vauquelin
Paris, 75231 Paris
Cedex 05, France
Tel: 33-1-4079-4683
Fax: 33-1-4079-4686
costantino.creton@espci.fr |
Kevin E. Healy
University of California-Berkeley
Depts. of Bioengineering and Materials Science & Engineering
370 Hearst Mining Bldg.
Berkeley, CA 94720
Tel: 510-643-3559
Fax: 510-643-5792
kehealy@berkeley.edu |
Kenneth R. Shull
Northwestern University
Dept. of Materials Science & Engineering
2225 N. Campus Dr.
Evanston, IL 60208-3108
Tel: 847-467-1752
Fax: 847-491-7820
k-shull@northwestern.edu |
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