Structure, transport and controlled release properties of hydrogels with integrated hydrophobic nanocontainers

Physical cross-linking of natural polyelectrolytes via interactions with oppositely charged surfactants represents the novel and cost-effective way of the preparation of hydrogels applicable in controlled-release systems. Integration of the surfactant micelles in the hydrogel matrix provides well-defined (preparation-specific) transport properties of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic solutes. The project will provide a complex study on the preparation of these hydrogels, on their structural and mechanical properties, solubilization capabilites and transport properties. This study will result in the complex view on the causal relation between material (morphological) and transport properties of the hydrogels at different scale of analysis.