Ms.Gargi Joshi,a 1st year doctral student in Kaneko lab. of Energy and Environment Area,received Poster Award in The 11th International Gel Symposium (GelSympo2017).

■Date Awarded
March 8,2017

■Title
Directional Control of Diffusion and Swelling in Hydrogels Prepared from Cyanobacterial Exopolysaccharide

■Abstract
With the goal of constructing novel biomaterials, we have studied the LC hetero-polysaccharide, sacran extracted from the extracellular matrix of the freshwater cyanobacteria, Aphanothece sacrum. It demonstrated a high potential for significant water retention and had a liquid crystal nature at a critical concentration of ~ 0.3 %. In the present work, by investigating the swelling ratio and swelling kinetics three-dimensionally, the effects of the thickness of precursor films with LC orientation on diffusion are discussed. The thinner films swelled to a larger extent than their thicker counterparts. The dried films were analyzed using TEM and SEM techniques at nano- and sub-micron scale, respectively. It was observed that sacran fibers arrange in nano-platelets during the drying process and form oriented structure via nano layering and sub-micron layering. Due to the presence of this layered structure, we have successfully controlled the diffusion parallel to the planar direction and swelling in the lateral direction. We believe that these hydrogels will be useful for dynamic control in biomedical applications such as engineering replacement tissues, reconstructive surgeries, and the design of sustained drug delivery devices.

■Comment
I'm very grateful to Polymer Gel Research Group for presenting me with the Best Student Soft Matter Poster Award (Gel Symposium, Chiba 2017). It was an inspiring event to interact with researchers from the same field. I'm indebted to Prof. Tatsuo Kaneko and Asst. Prof. Kosuke Okeyoshi. I have been able to get this award all because of their constant guidance and constructive criticism. Also, Dr. Okajima and Dr. Asif Ali for the support and care. Big thanks to all Kaneko lab members for being cooperative, kind and fun to be with.

March 13 ,2017