Following structural modifications of thermoresponsive hybrid hydrogels under temperature sweep or magnetic field by in-situ SAXS experiment

The aim is to follow the microstructure of novel thermoresponsive hydrogels made of magnetic nanoparticles (akaganeite or nontronite) and Pluronic PF127 copolymer in order to develop cost-effective, and biocompatible hydrogels with multiple stimuli-responsive characteristics. Preliminary rheological experiments reveal a non-monotonic behaviour for storage modulus and gel strength as a function of the temperature. Incorporation of NPs alters the gel network formed by PF127 micelles leading to a transition from a liquid to a strong gel mediated by a soft-gel state, whose microstructure remains unexplored. We propose to investigate the relationships between the structural organization changes and rheological properties, during in situ thermal treatment of hybrid hydrogels with and without the presence of a magnetic field. We expect to improve the understanding on the enhancement of strength and flexibility of PF127 gels with the presence of nanoparticles.