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192 || AWSAR Awarded Popular Science Stories - 2019
maybe, he would be able to help them.
So next day both detectives went to the institute to talk to the professor. The professor on hearing their questions directed them to a Ph.D. student, Kavya, who worked on hydrogels. Karan and Priya both wanted to learn more about the gel and how they could
solve the case soon.
“So, what do you do your research on?”
asked Karan as they entered the lab.
“I actually work on hydrogels,” said Kavya. “You mean gel as in hair gel, like he has
applied,” teased Priya looking at Karan. “Ha-ha yes. But, I think, I should explain the basics to you first for better understanding. So sit back and listen and interrupt whenever
needed,” said Kavya.
She continued, “So, basically, material
can be divided into two categories as we all know. Solid and liquid. Solid materials (for example, cement) are those which can hold shape and are rigid whereas
liquid (for example, water) easily flows and does not hold any shape. But there is a third type of material, which is neither a solid nor a liquid. This type of material is known as viscoelastic material (for example, gel). Hydrogels belongs to this class of material.”
“But where do we use these material in our daily life?” asked Karan
Hydrogels have many
uses in everyday life. Like in
baby diapers a hydrogel lining
is used to retain water. They are used in contact lenses and as jell-o in foods.
“Okay, so how are these hydrogels formed?” popped the next question.
“Usually ‘polymers’ are used to prepare hydrogels. A polymer is a long-chain molecule consisting of a unit, which is repeated
thousands of times (‘mer’ means many times hence polymer). A hydrogel is formed when these polymers are knotted together through “crosslinking”. They have a three-dimensional network just like a spider’s web. Here, the spaces between the polymer chains are filled with water. Hence, they have the capability to absorb and retain large amounts of water, Kavya explained.
“So what are the applications of hydrogels?” asked Priya
“Hydrogels have many important characteristics like soft rubbery texture, biocompatibility, and ability to retain water. Hence, hydrogels are used in a wide range of applications including soft contact lenses, in pills, as carriers for controlled drug delivery, to coat implants, and to heal wounds,” elaborated Kavya.
“So what do you do your research on?” was the next question.
“In order to use hydrogels in a wide variety of applications, knowledge of mechanical strength and stability is vital, which, in turn, depends on the hydrogel structure. The structure of hydrogel can be tuned by varying several parameters, such as polymer concentration, crosslinker concentration, crosslinker type, charge density, pH of the medium, addition of surfactants, and addition of salts. Thus, in our lab, we study the structural manipulation of the hydrogel
systems so that these materials can be utilized in a better way,” Kavya explained.
“So explain to us what you have found out,” came the curious question.
“We have tried to systematically investigate the effect of various parameters on the structure and stability of hydrogels.
   So next day both detectives went to the institute to talk to the professor. The professor on hearing their questions directed them to a Ph.D. student, Kavya, who worked on hydrogels. Karan and Priya both wanted to learn more about the gel and how they could solve the case soon.
  






































































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