Hydrogel network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10978218-B2
Application number	US-201715788441-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2017
Priority date	Oct 25, 2012
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

The invention provides a hydrogel network comprising a plurality of hydrogel objects, wherein each of said hydrogel objects comprises: a hydrogel body, and an outer layer of amphipathic molecules, on at least part of the surface of the hydrogel body, wherein each of said hydrogel objects contacts another of said hydrogel objects to form an interface between the contacting hydrogel objects. A process for producing the hydrogel networks is also provided. The invention also provides an electrochemical circuit and a hydrogel component for mechanical devices comprising a hydrogel network. Various uses of the hydrogel network are also described, including their use in synthetic biology and as components in electrochemical circuits and mechanical devices.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electrochemical circuit comprising a hydrogel network, wherein the hydrogel network comprises a plurality of hydrogel objects, wherein each of said hydrogel objects comprises:
(a) a hydrogel body,
(b) an outer layer of amphipathic molecules, on at least part of the surface of the hydrogel body,
wherein each of said hydrogel objects contacts another of said hydrogel objects to form an interface between the hydrogel objects.

2. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of hydrogel objects comprises a first hydrogel object and a second hydrogel object, wherein each of the first hydrogel and second hydrogel objects comprises:
(a) a hydrogel body, and
(b) an outer layer of amphipathic molecules, on at least part of the surface of the hydrogel body,
wherein the first hydrogel object contacts the second hydrogel object to form said interface between the first hydrogel object and the second hydrogel object.

3. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 2 wherein the interface between the first hydrogel object and second hydrogel object comprises a bilayer of amphipathic molecules.

4. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 2 wherein the hydrogel body of the first hydrogel object is in direct contact with the hydrogel body of the second object, at the interface between the first hydrogel object and second hydrogel object.

5. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 2 wherein said plurality of hydrogel objects further comprises a third hydrogel object, wherein the third hydrogel object comprises:
(a) a hydrogel body, and
(b) an outer layer of amphipathic molecules, on at least part of the surface of the hydrogel body,
wherein the first hydrogel object or second hydrogel object contacts the third hydrogel object to form an interface between the contacting hydrogel objects, between the first hydrogel object or second hydrogel object and the third hydrogel object.

6. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 5 wherein the first hydrogel object contacts the third hydrogel object to form an interface between the first hydrogel object and third hydrogel object, and wherein the second hydrogel object contacts the third hydrogel object to form an interface between the second hydrogel object and third hydrogel object.

7. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 1 wherein the electrochemical circuit forms a switch or a component part of a switch.

8. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 1 wherein the network comprises at least n of said hydrogel objects, and at least n−1 of said interfaces between contacting hydrogel objects, wherein n is equal to or greater than 4.

9. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 5 , wherein at least one interface between contacting hydrogel objects comprises a bilayer of amphipathic molecules.

10. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 4 , wherein at least one interface between contacting hydrogel objects does not comprise a bilayer of amphipathic molecules.

11. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 4 wherein the hydrogel body of one hydrogel object is in direct contact with the hydrogel body of another hydrogel object at at least one interface between contacting hydrogel objects.

12. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 4 wherein at each interface between contacting hydrogel objects, the hydrogel body of one said hydrogel object is in direct contact with the hydrogel body of another said hydrogel object.

13. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 4 wherein at least one interface between contacting hydrogel objects comprises a bilayer of amphipathic molecules, and at least one other interface between contacting hydrogel objects does not comprise a bilayer of amphipathic molecules.

14. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 4 wherein at least one interface between contacting hydrogel objects comprises a bilayer of amphipathic molecules, and wherein the hydrogel body of one hydrogel object is in direct contact with the hydrogel body of another hydrogel object at at least one other interface between contacting hydrogel objects.

15. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 3 wherein the plurality of hydrogel objects is surrounded by a layer of the amphipathic molecules.

16. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 1 wherein the hydrogel body of at least one of said hydrogel objects is a molded three-dimensional shape, wherein three-dimensional shape is spherical, cross-shaped, cuboid, crescent-shaped, prism-shaped, cylindrical, wire-shaped or a shape which has a triangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, heptagonal, octagonal, nonagonal, decagonal, undecagonal, dodecagonal, square or rectangular face.

17. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 1 wherein the hydrogel body of at least one of said hydrogel objects is in the shape of a wire.

18. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 3 wherein the hydrogel network comprises at least one bilayer comprising a membrane protein.

19. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality of hydrogel objects is a Janus particle comprising:
(a) a hydrogel body comprising a hydrophilic material and a hydrophobic material, and
(b) an outer layer of amphipathic molecules, on at least part of the surface of the hydrogel body.

20. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 1 which further comprises a hydrophobic medium, wherein the plurality of hydrogel objects is disposed in the hydrophobic medium.

21. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 1 further comprising one or more further hydrogel objects, wherein each of the one or more further hydrogel objects comprises a hydrogel body.

22. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 1 comprising a first electrode which is in contact with a hydrogel object in the hydrogel network, and a second electrode.

23. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 22 wherein the second electrode is in contact with a hydrogel object, wherein the hydrogel object in contact with the second electrode is not the same hydrogel object as the hydrogel object in contact with the first electrode.

24. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 22 wherein the second electrode is in contact with another of said hydrogel objects of said plurality of hydrogel objects in the network.

25. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 22 wherein at least one hydrogel body is a hydrogel wire.

26. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 25 wherein all of the hydrogel bodies are hydrogel wires.

27. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 25 which further comprises a hydrophobic medium, wherein the network is in contact with the hydrophobic medium.

28. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 25 wherein one or more of said hydrogel object is disposed on a substrate, wherein the substrate comprises glass or plastic.

29. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 1 wherein the electrochemical circuit comprises a first electrode which is in contact with a hydrogel object in the hydrogel network, and a second electrode.

30. An electrochemical circuit according to claim 29 which comprises said first electrode which is in contact with said hydrogel object and a second electrode which is in contact with another of said hydro

Assignees

• Univ Oxford Innovation Ltd

Inventors

• Bayley John Hagan Pryce
• Sapra Kunwar Tanuj

Classifications

• C08J3/075 Primary

  Macromolecular gels · CPC title

• H01B7/0027 Primary

  Liquid conductors · CPC title

• B32B2457/00

  Electrical equipment · CPC title

• H01B1/06

  mainly consisting of other non-metallic substances · CPC title

• H05K1/0326

  containing O · CPC title