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Koki Sano (D1), Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, wins a RSC Soft Matter Awatd at the 11th International Gel Symposium

 

On 8th March 2017, Mr. Koki Sano (D1), Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, wins a RSC Soft Matter Awatd at the 11th International Gel Symposium.

This award is given for excellent poster presenters at The 11th International Gel Symposium.

 

 

<About awarded research>

The articular cartilages of animals utilize the electrostatic repulsion between negatively charged polymer to realize an anisotropic mechanical property.  Inspired by this system, our laboratory achieved to make a mechanically anisotropic hydrogel using the electrostatic repulsion between negatively charged inorganic nanosheets.  The resultant hydrogel is easily deformable along a shear force applied parallel to the nanosheet plane but is resistive against compressive force applied orthogonally like an articular cartilage (M.Liu et al. Nature 2015, 517,68.).  However, we serendipitously found that in that work the electrostatic repulsion was screened by excess amount of ions and we could not make the best use of electrostatic repulsion (K.Sano et al. Nature Commun. 2016, 7,12559.).  Here, we succeeded in enlarging mechanical anisotropy more than 100 by using two rational strategy that are derived from the DLVO theory.

 

<Comments>

I’m very honored to receive this award. I would like to thank Prof. Takuzo Aida and lab members.  I also would like to study harder for making further achievements.