Polymer gels with engineered environmentally responsive surface patterns

The polymer gels called hydrogels may be induced to swell or shrink (taking up or expelling water between the crosslinked polymer chains) in response to a variety of environmental stimuli, such as changes in pH or temperature, or the presence of a specific chemical substrate1. These gels are being explored for several technological applications, particularly as biomedical materials2. When hydrogels swell or shrink, complex patterns may be generated on their surfaces3,4,5,6,7. Here we report the synthesis and controlled modulation of engineered surface patterns on environmentally responsive hydrogels. We modify the character of a gel surface by selectively depositing another material using a mask. For example, we use sputter deposition to imprint the surface of an N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPA) gel with a square array of gold thin films. The periodicity of the array can be continuously varied as a function of temperature or electric field (which alter the gel's volume), and so such an array might serve as an optical grating for sensor applications. We also deposit small areas of an NIPA gel onthe surface of an acrylamide gel; the patterned area can be rendered invisible reversibly by switching the temperature above or below the lower critical solution temperature of the NIPA gel. We anticipate that these surface patterning techniques may find applications in display and sensor technology.