A microfluidic actuator based on a stimuli-responsive hydrogel grafted into Cucurbita moschata xylems
- Romero, Marcelo Ricardo
- Trejo Nieva, Gisella
- Vedelago, José Alberto
- Gomez, Cesar Gerardo
DOIAbstract
A chemical actuator was developed taking advantage of the internal microstructure of a plant stem. Stem xylems of Cucurbita moschatawere chemically modified with a pH-responsive polymer to obtain an intelligent hydraulic valve. The chemical composition of the device was based mainly on biological scaffolds combined with a minimum content of a tailor-made synthetic copolymer. A pH-sensitive hydrogel composed of a copolymer of acrylic acid was grafted on the inner surface of stem microchannels, assessing the physicochemical properties and the response of the developed actuator under different pressure and pH conditions. Variation of average microcapillary diameter in response to pH stimuli was estimated using Poiseuille's model. This microflu...
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