Abstract:
Hydrophilic gels called hydrogels are cross-linked materials that absorb large quantities
of water without dissolving. Their tendency to absorb water is due to the presence of hydrophilic
functional groups attached to the polymer backbone and their resistance to dissolution is justified
by the presence of cross-links between network chains. Responsive polymers can exhibit
reversible or irreversible changes in their chemical structures and/or physical properties to an
external stimulus such as pH, temperature, ionic strength, light irradiation, mechanical forces,
electric and magnetic fields etc. Existing temperature sensing devices are infeasible for usage in
internal body orifices and its difficult for them to be integrated with an implant because of poor
flexibility characteristics, inappropriate size, configuration and geometry. The proposed thermal
responsive hydrogel based sensor offers the potential to address these issues by synthesizing and
investigating the thermal responsive properties of Chitosan-PEG hydrogels. This study proves its
basic sensing capability, characterizes it fully, helps understand its behavior and defines its
sensing span.
