DESIGN AND TESTING OF HYDROGEL BASED ACTUATOR FOR BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS

Abstract

The rapid progress of microtechnology has augmented the need for the breakthrough of medical devices that are capable to achieve mechanical output in-vivo on the micro and macroscale. Actuators are a kind of machine that can move or control a mechanism and requires a controlling signal or a stimuli. Based on the external stimuli they need, actuators can be classified into different categories, including mechanical, electro-mechanical, pneumatic and hydraulic actuators. Among all types of actuators, those supported stimuli-responsive hydrogels deserve individual consideration. Hydrogels are three-dimensional crosslinked hydrophilic polymer networks which have ability to swell and shrink in response to different stimuli such as temperature, light, pH etc. The ability of stimuli responsive hydrogels to change their volume in response to change in their physiological surroundings makes them fascinating to be used as smart materials for biomedical applications such as: carriers for drug delivery, microfluidic system, sensors as well as actuators. The aim of this project was to explore the performance of hydrogels as actuator that uses natural environment stimulus to produce microscale displacement and force that has potential in different biomedical applications e.g. controlled drug dispensation, stent expansion, wound management etc.