Numerical Simulation of Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Prepared via Thermally Initiated Frontal Polymerization

Abstract

Traditional polymer curing techniques present challenges such as a slow processing speed, high energy consumption, and considerable initial investment. Frontal polymerization (FP), a novel approach, transforms monomers into fully cured polymers through a self-sustaining exothermic reaction, which enhances speed, efficiency, and safety. This study focuses on acrylamide hydrogels, synthesized via FP, which hold significant potential for biomedical applications and 3D printing. Heat conduction is critical in FP, particularly due to its influence on the temperature distribution and reaction rate mechanisms, which affect the final properties of polymers. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis of heat conduction and chemical reactions during FP is presented through the establishment of mathematical models and numerical methods. Existing research on FP hydrogel synthesis primarily explores chemical modifications, with limited studies on numerical modeling. By utilizing Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) data on the curing kinetics of polymerizable deep eutectic solvents (DES), this paper employs Malek’s model selection method to establish an autocatalytic reaction model for FP synthesis. In addition, the finite element method is used to solve the reaction–diffusion model, examining the temperature evolution and curing degree during synthesis. The results affirm the nth-order autocatalytic model’s accuracy in studying acrylamide monomer curing kinetics. Additionally, factors such as trigger temperature and solution initial temperature were found to influence the FP reaction’s frontal propagation speed. The model’s predictions on acrylamide hydrogel synthesis align with experimental data, filling the gap in numerical modeling for hydrogel FP synthesis and offering insights for future research on numerical models and temperature control in the FP synthesis of high-performance hydrogels.