{
  "abstract": "Control over when and where gelation occurs is central to the fabrication of structured soft materials, yet most approaches rely on chemical additives or uniform bulk triggers. Here, we show that cold plasma provides an external, reagent-free route to spatial and temporal control over gelation in low molecular weight hydrogel systems. Plasma exposure induces a localised decrease in pH at the plasma–liquid interface, triggering self-assembly and gel formation only in the treated region. This external plasma-induced self-assembly method enables direct writing of gel features from precursor solutions without embedded triggers, construction of three-dimensional architectures, and control over local mechanical properties through plasma dose. Our approach also allows simultaneous formation of metal nanoparticles within gels, yielding spatially confined composite and catalytic soft materials.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "School of Chemistry",
    "University of Glasgow",
    "School of Physics, Engineering and Technology",
    "University of York",
    "Department of Electrical Engineering and Electronics",
    "University of Liverpool",
    "Dept. of Pure & Applied Chemistry",
    "University of Strathclyde",
    "Harwell Science and Innovation Campus",
    "Centre for the Cellular Microenvironment"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 12,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Emma Bowley"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Dipankar Ghosh"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Dilli Padmanaban"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Matthew Bieniek"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6,
        7
      ],
      "name": "Calum Fyfe"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6,
        7
      ],
      "name": "Timothy. J. D. McCabe"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Andrew J. Smith"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6,
        7
      ],
      "name": "Marc Reid"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        9,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Massimo Vassalli"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "James L. Walsh"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Mohammad I Hasan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Dave J. Adams",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3176-1350"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cdk98b4ghh3tn.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.26434/chemrxiv.15010580/v1",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "cdk98b4ghh3tn",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010580/v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2502|Supramolecular Self-Assembly in Materials"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7222500102",
  "pdf_url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/pdf/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010580/v1",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-16",
  "publisher": "American Chemical Society (ACS)",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cdk98b4ghh3tn.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:24Z",
      "native_id": "10.26434/chemrxiv.15010580",
      "source": "chemrxiv",
      "url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010580/v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:2502|Supramolecular Self-Assembly in Materials",
      "subfield": "materials-polymers"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Cold Plasma Induced 3D Printing of Hydrogels",
  "title_text": "Cold Plasma Induced 3D Printing of Hydrogels",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:24Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cdk98b4ghh3tn",
  "venue": "ChemRxiv",
  "versions": []
}