Polymer gels, which resemble soft biological tissues in their mechanical and rheological behavior, have played a role in civilization for thousands of years. These materials are widely used in daily life and in industry, e.g. as super-absorbents, ion-exchange resins, water retainers, and drug delivery systems. Today, nano-fabrication of gels is highly demanded for micro-TAS (Labo-on-a-Chip) manufacturing and biological applications. Intensive scientific study of gels has occurred only in the past few decades. Fundamental problems in chemistry and physics of polymer gels, namely, precise control of gel architecture, entanglements, and heterogeneities, have not been fully solved. However, the growing scientific understanding of these aspects has resulted in the development of advanced gel materials, including double network gels, nanocomposite gels, and slide-ring gels, and the peculiar structures and physical properties of these new gels have attracted interest of many researchers. The aim of this symposium is to provide an international and interdisciplinary forum focusing on recent advances in polymer gel science, including novel types of gels and applications. |
