| Silica Nanoparticles Dispersed in Hydrogels Using Microfluidics Technology | ||
| Tamara M. Floyd, Chemical Engineering Department, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL 36088, Lynden A. Archer, Cornell University, 120 Olin Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 and Derrick R. Dean, Materials Science and Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294 This work reports a new technique that uses microfluidics technology for processing nanomaterials. Microchannels defined in poly-dimethyl siloxane (PDMS) using soft lithography distribute nanoparticles within a monomer solution. The solution is subsequently photo-polymerized to yield a polymer with dispersed nanoparticles, and microscopy techniques are used to characterize the material. Currently, silica nano-particles dispersed in a hydrogel have been investigated, but this technique should be applicable to other systems. Extended Abstract Status: Not Uploaded | ||