In this work, nonisothermal film blowing process analysis for non-Newtonian polymer melts has been performed theoretically by using minimum energy approach and the obtained predictions were compared with both, theoretical and experimental data (internal bubble pressure, take-up force, bubble shape, velocity and temperature profiles) taken from the open literature. For this purpose, recently proposed generalized Newtonian model depending on three principal invariants of the deformation rate tensor, D, and its absolute defined as ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi D Á D p has been used. It has been found that film blowing model predictions are in very good agreement with the corresponding experimental data.
Smart hydrogels based on natural polymers present an opportunity to fabricate responsive scaffolds that provide an immediate and reversible reaction to a given stimulus. Modulation of mechanical characteristics is especially interesting in myocyte cultivation, and can be achieved by magnetically controlled stiffening. Here, hyaluronan hydrogels with carbonyl iron particles as a magnetic filler are prepared in a low-toxicity process. Desired mechanical behaviour is achieved using a combination of two cross-linking routes—dynamic Schiff base linkages and ionic cross-linking. We found that gelation time is greatly affected by polymer chain conformation. This factor can surpass the influence of the number of reactive sites, shortening gelation from 5 h to 20 min. Ionic cross-linking efficiency increased with the number of carboxyl groups and led to the storage modulus reaching 103 Pa compared to 101 Pa–102 Pa for gels cross-linked with only Schiff bases. Furthermore, the ability of magnetic particles to induce significant stiffening of the hydrogel through the magnetorheological effect is confirmed, as a 103-times higher storage modulus is achieved in an external magnetic field of 842 kA·m−1. Finally, cytotoxicity testing confirms the ability to produce hydrogels that provide over 75% relative cell viability. Therefore, dual cross-linked hyaluronan-based magneto-responsive hydrogels present a potential material for on-demand mechanically tunable scaffolds usable in myocyte cultivation.
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