We present experiments and theory relating to transpiration through unrestrained hydrogel beads in contact with a water reservoir below air above. Experimentally, we find that saturated shrink until steady state is reached which flows continuously the beads. The size of bead sensitive evaporation rate, depends on relative humidity speed surrounding air, pressure head imposed by fluid reservoir....

In an attempt to find a more efficient technique for biodegradation of the recalcitrant Reactive Black 5 (RB-5) dye, a composite xylan-polyvinyl alcohol (xylan-PVOH) hydrogel was used to immobilize laccase from the white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor. Xylan was prepared from the black liquor of pulp and paper effluent, and it was esterified with citric acid prior to cross-linking with polyviny...

to reduce peat while increasing the water holding capacity (whc) of casing soil in button mushroom production an experiment was conducted in 2006 with three hydrogel treatments of: t0= casing soil with no hydrogel, as control, t1= casing soil + 10% hydrogel (v/v), and t2= casing soil + 20% hydrogel (v/v) with three replicates in a completely randomized design. results indicated that treatment 1...

The influences of the pH, tripolyphosphate (TPP) concentration, and ionic strength of the gelling medium on the entrapment efficiency, release, and activity of lipase in chitosan hydrogel beads were studied. A solution of Candida rugosa lipase was prepared in a 1.5% w/v chitosan and 1% (v/v) acetic acid medium, and dropped into a TPP solution. Release of lipase in pH 7.2 Tris buffer was monitor...

This review compiles information regarding the use of alginate, and in particular alginate hydrogels, in culturing cells in 3D. Knowledge of alginate chemical structure and functionality are shown to be important parameters in design of alginate-based matrices for cell culture. Gel elasticity as well as hydrogel stability can be impacted by the type of alginate used, its concentration, the choi...

The notion of a bead metric space is defined as a nice generalization of the uniformly convex normed space such as $CAT(0)$ space, where the curvature is bounded from above by zero. In fact, the bead spaces themselves can be considered in particular as natural extensions of convex sets in uniformly convex spaces and normed bead spaces are identical with uniformly convex spaces. In this paper, w...

In this study, a novel pH/temperature sensitive hydrogel bead with core-shelled structure, composed of calcium alginate (Ca-alginate) and poly(N-acryloylglycine) (PAG), was prepared using as a drug delivery system. The equilibrium swelling has indicated the distinct sensitivities of the beads to pH value and temperature. In pH = 7.4 phosphate buffer solution (PBS), the cumulative release amount...

Templating processes for creating polymerized hydrogels are reviewed. The use of contact photonic crystals and of non-contact colloidal crystalline arrays as templates are described and applications to chemical sensing and device fabrication are illustrated. Emulsion templating is illustrated in the formation of microporous membranes, and templating on reverse emulsions and double emulsions is ...

A hydrogel exhibits a real-time depth-controllable swimming motion via light-mediated modulation of local density to mimic the volume changes found in the bladders of fish. Moreover, other motions, e.g., rolling, somersaulting, and bipedal-like walking, can also be realized by designing or combining gel shapes, and the location of light.