Effect of Chemical Crosslinking on the Swelling and Shrinking Properties of Thermal and pH-Responsive Chitosan Hydrogels (original) (raw)

Hydrogels are three-dimensional polymer networks with remarkable swelling and shrinking properties influenced by their environment. This paper explores the effects of chemical crosslinking on the thermal and pH responsiveness of chitosan hydrogels. By producing cylindrical chitosan hydrogels through physical and chemical crosslinking processes, the study reveals significant variations in swelling behaviors at different pH levels and temperatures. The findings indicate that the pH and the degree of crosslinking play crucial roles in determining the hydrogels' responsiveness, with implications for their applications in biomedical and bioengineering fields.