Hydrogel Formation and Characterization
Hydrogel formulations were made by adding powdered poloxamer 407 (P407)
to DI water and stirring the solution at 4ºC until all powder was
dissolved to form a clear solution. AgNPs-PVP was then added to the
formulated P407 hydrogel solution and stirred until the solution became
homogeneous. The hydrogel formulation was referred to as
XµM[AgNPs-PVP]-18%[P407], where X indicates AgNPs-PVP
concentration and 18% is weight per volume concentration of P407.
Gelation temperature (Tgel), storage (G\({}^{\prime}\)) and loss
(G”) modulus were quantified using linear oscillatory shear rheology
measurements (1 rads-1, 1% strain, and 1°C/min) by TA
Instruments DHR3 Rheometer. Tgel is taken as the
temperature when the G\({}^{\prime}\) became 2KPa larger than the G”. The changes
of G\({}^{\prime}\) and G” were recorded in the temperature range of 20°C to 40°C.