A composite hydrogel of porous gold nanorods and gelatin: Nanoscale structure and rheomechanical properties.

Incorporating nanomaterials into hydrogels allows for the creation of versatile materials with properties that can be precisely tailored by manipulating their nanoscale structures, leading to a wide range of bulk properties. Investigating the structural and property characteristics of composite hydrogels is crucial in tailoring their performance for specific applications. This study focuses on investigating the correlation between the structural arrangement and properties of a composite hydrogel of thermoresponsive polymer, gelatin, and light-responsive antimicrobial porous gold nanorods (PAuNRs). The rheomechanical properties of the composite hydrogels are correlated with their nanoscale structural characteristics, investigated using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). Analysis of SANS data reveals a decrease in the fractal dimension of PAuNRs incorporated hydrogel matrix, as compared to pure gelatin. Incorporating PAuNRs results in the formation of a softer composite hydrogel, as evident from the decrease in viscoelastic moduli, critical yield strain, denaturation temperature, and swelling ratio. Our results demonstrate that the structural modulation at the nanoscale can be precisely controlled through adjusting PAuNRs concentration and temperature, providing a fabrication mechanism for hydrogels with desired elastic properties. The reduced elasticity of the composite hydrogel and light-sensitive/antimicrobial property of the PAuNRs make this system suitable for specific biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering, device fabrication, and stimuli-based controlled drug delivery devices.