High hopes for hydrogels

By Bea Perks2015-07-01T12:15:00

Source: Shutterstock

It’s amazing what chemists can do with a jelly-like material that’s mostly water, says Bea Perks

A gel is a colloidal suspension of a solid dispersed in a liquid. In the case of hydrogels, that liquid is water. ‘Hydrogels seem solid but they consist mainly of water, more than 99% in some cases,’ says Neil Cameron, professor of polymer materials at Monash University, Australia. ‘The water is solidified by molecules that form a 3D network throughout the gel.’ One of the most recognisable examples of a hydrogel, at least for anyone who’s ever been to a children’s birthday party, is jelly.

Thanks for using Education in Chemistry. You can view one Education in Chemistry article per month as a visitor.

A photograph of a teacher standing in a white lab coat, speaking with a class of children in a laboratory, is superimposed on a colourful background. Text reads "Teach Chemistry means support for classroom and staff room".

Register for Teach Chemistry for free, unlimited access

Registration is open to all teachers and technicians at secondary schools, colleges and teacher training institutions in the UK and Ireland.

Get all this, plus much more:

unlimited access to resources, core practical videos and Education in Chemistry articles
teacher well-being toolkit, personal development resources and online assessments
applications for funding to support your lessons

Set up your Teach Chemistry account

Already a Teach Chemistry member? Sign in now.

Not eligible for Teach Chemistry? Sign up for a personal account instead, or you can also access all our resources with Royal Society of Chemistry membership.