Impact of a protein addition on the microstructure and rheological properties of silica hydrogels
Abstract
Silica gels are colloidal hydrogels that can be used in drug delivery techniques, and the introduction of proteins into the system would be of interest in cases where the protein is the element to be delivered. In this study repulsive colloids (silica particle) are mixed with ionic species to form a fractal gel. We then study the impact of adding a protein (BSA), whose overall charge is of same sign as silica, on the structural and mechanical properties of the gel. Thanks to SAXS and rheology measurements, we can deduce some micro and macro parameters such as, the interaction potential between beads, the gelation time, the elastic modulus and the critical strain of the gel and their variation with the volume fraction in BSA. The protein allows to form gels with very low ionic strength compared to the case without proteins; BSA acts as a binding agent between the silica particles. Thanks to a power-law model, hypothesis are proposed about the gels structure to make a link between the structure and the mechanical properties.
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BibTeX
@article{nmar2026impact,
title = {{Impact of a protein addition on the microstructure and rheological properties of silica hydrogels}},
author = {Souhaila N'Mar and Thomas Gibaud and Patrick Guenoun and Jean-Philippe Renault and Ludovic Pauchard and Frédérique Giorgiutti-Dauphiné},
journal = {Soft Matter},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1039/d6sm00376a},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05700051v2},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Impact of a protein addition on the microstructure and rheological properties of silica hydrogels
AU - Souhaila N'Mar
AU - Thomas Gibaud
AU - Patrick Guenoun
AU - Jean-Philippe Renault
AU - Ludovic Pauchard
AU - Frédérique Giorgiutti-Dauphiné
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/21
JO - Soft Matter
DO - 10.1039/d6sm00376a
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05700051v2
AB - Silica gels are colloidal hydrogels that can be used in drug delivery techniques, and the introduction of proteins into the system would be of interest in cases where the protein is the element to be delivered. In this study repulsive colloids (silica particle) are mixed with ionic species to form a fractal gel. We then study the impact of adding a protein (BSA), whose overall charge is of same sign as silica, on the structural and mechanical properties of the gel. Thanks to SAXS and rheology measurements, we can deduce some micro and macro parameters such as, the interaction potential between beads, the gelation time, the elastic modulus and the critical strain of the gel and their variation with the volume fraction in BSA. The protein allows to form gels with very low ionic strength compared to the case without proteins; BSA acts as a binding agent between the silica particles. Thanks to a power-law model, hypothesis are proposed about the gels structure to make a link between the structure and the mechanical properties.
SN - 1744-683X
SN - 1744-6848
ER -