Hydrogels are hydrophilic 3D networks that are able to ingest large amounts of water or biological fluids, and are potential candidates for biosensors, drug delivery vectors, energy harvester devices, and carriers or matrices for cells in tissue engineering. Natural polymers, e.g., cellulose, chitosan and starch, have excellent properties that afford fabrication of advanced hydrogel materials for biomedical applications: biodegradability, biocompatibility, non-toxicity, hydrophilicity, thermal and chemical stability, and the high capacity for swelling induced by facile synthetic modification, among other physicochemical properties. Hydrogels require variable time to reach an equilibrium swelling due to the variable diffusion rates of water sorption, capillary action, and other modalities. In this study, the nature, transport kinetics, and the role of water in the formation and structural stability of various types of hydrogels comprised of natural polymers are reviewed. Since water is an integral part of hydrogels that constitute a substantive portion of its composition, there is a need to obtain an improved understanding of the role of hydration in the structure, degree of swelling and the mechanical stability of such biomaterial hydrogels. The capacity of the polymer chains to swell in an aqueous solvent can be expressed by the rubber elasticity theory and other thermodynamic contributions; whereas the rate of water diffusion can be driven either by concentration gradient or chemical potential. An overview of fabrication strategies for various types of hydrogels is presented as well as their responsiveness to external stimuli, along with their potential utility in diverse and novel applications. This review aims to shed light on the role of hydration to the structure and function of hydrogels. In turn, this review will further contribute to the development of advanced materials, such as “injectable hydrogels” and super-adsorbents for applications in the field of environmental science and biomedicine.

Structural characterization and dynamic properties of solid-state inclusion complexes of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) were investigated by (19)F/(13)C solid-state and (19)F/(1)H solution NMR spectroscopy. The complexes in the solid state were prepared using dissolution and slow cool methods, where thermal analyses (DSC and TGA), PXRD, and FT-IR results provided complementary support that inclusion complexes were formed between β-CD and PFOA with variable stoichiometry and inclusion geometry. (19)F DP (direct polarization) and (13)C CP (cross-polarization) with magic-angle spinning (MAS) solids NMR, along with (19)F/(1)H solution NMR were used to characterize the complexes in the solid and solution phases, respectively. The dynamics of the guest molecules in the inclusion complexes (ICs) were studied using variable temperature (VT) (19)F DP/MAS NMR experiments in the solid state. The guest molecules were observed to be in several different molecular environments, providing strong evidence of variable host-guest stoichiometry and inclusion geometry, in accordance with the preparation method of the complex and the conformational preference of PFOA. It was concluded from PXRD that β-CD and PFOA form inclusion complexes with "channel-type" structures. Variable spin rate (VSR) (19)F DP/MAS NMR was used to assess the phase purity of the complexes, and it was revealed that slow cooling resulted in relatively pure phases. In the solution state, (1)H and (19)F NMR complexation-induced chemical shifts (CISs) of β-CD and PFOA, respectively, provided strong support for the formation of 1:1 and 2:1 β-CD/PFOA inclusion complexes. The dynamics of the guest molecule in the β-CD/PFOA complexes in D(2)O solutions were probed using VT (19)F NMR and revealed some guest conformational and exchange dynamics as a function of temperature and the relative concentrations of the host and guest.

The structural characterization and dynamic properties of solid-state inclusion complexes (ICs) formed between β-cyclodextrin (β-CD; host) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA; guest) were investigated using (13)C NMR spectroscopy. The 1:1 and 2:1 host/guest solid-state complexes were prepared using a modified dissolution method to obtain complexes with high phase purity. These complexes were further characterized using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), FT-IR spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), (19)F directpolarization (DP), and (13)C cross-polarization (CP) with magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy. The (19)F → (13)C CP results provided unequivocal support for the formation of well-defined inclusion compounds. The phase purity of the complexes formed between β-CD and PFOA were assessed using the (19)F DP NMR technique at variable temperature (VT) and MAS at 20 kHz. The complexes were found to be of high phase purity when prepared in accordance with the modified dissolution method. The motional dynamics of the guest in the solid complexes were assessed using T1/T2/T1ρ relaxation NMR methods at ambient and VT conditions. The relaxation data revealed reliable and variable guest dynamics for the 1:1 versus 2:1 complexes at the VTs investigated. The motional dynamics of the guest molecules involve an ensemble of axial motions of the whole chain and 120° rotational jumps of the methyl (CF3) group at the termini of the perfluorocarbon chain. The axial and rotational dynamics of the guest in the 1:1 and 2:1 complexes differ in distribution and magnitude in accordance with the binding geometry of the guest within the host.

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This study reports on the unique water vapor adsorption properties of biomass-derived starch particles (SPs). SPs offer an alternative desiccant for air-to-air energy exchangers in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems because of their remarkable adsorption–desorption performance. SP 15 has a particle diameter ( d p ) of 15 μm with a surface area (SA) of 2.89 m 2 /g and a pore width ( P w ) of 80 Å. Microporous starch particles (SP 15 ) were compared with high amylose starch (HAS 15 ; SA = 0.56 m 2 /g, d p = 15 μm, P w = 46 Å) and silica gel (SG 13 ; SA = 478 m 2 /g, d p = 13 μm, P w = 62 Å). Transient water vapor tests were performed using a customized small-scale energy exchanger coated with SP 15 , HAS 15 , and SG 13 . The water swelling (%) for SP 15 was ca. 2 orders of magnitude greater with markedly higher (ca. three- and six-fold) water vapor uptake compared to HAS 15 and SG 13 , respectively. At similar desiccant coating levels on the energy exchanger, the latent effectiveness of the SP 15 system was much improved (4–31%) over the HAS 15 and SG 13 systems at controlled operating conditions. SP 15 is a unique desiccant material with high affinity for water vapor and superior adsorption properties where ca. 98% regeneration was achieved under mild conditions. Therefore, SPs display unique adsorption–desorption properties, herein referred to as the “Goldilocks effect”. This contribution reports on the utility of SPs as promising desiccant coatings in air-to-air energy exchangers for ventilation systems or as advanced materials for potential water/energy harvesting applications.