Bradley Mansel

Citation

Thesis Title
Structure and Dynamics of Biopolymer Networks

Read article at Massey Research Online:

The underlying arrangement and motion of a material’s constituents provide insights into their unique mechanical properties. Studying these properties increases the understanding of materials and provides insights into how new materials could be designed. Mr Mansel used a range of light and x-ray scattering techniques to investigate the structure and dynamics present in hydrogels formed using the biopolymer pectin. Oscillatory shear rheology was then used to investigate how changes in the structure and dynamics affected the mechanical properties. He found that dynamics on long time-scales, on the order of hours, could be altered by modifying the self-assembled structures in the gel. These results reveal that biopolymer hydrogels are typically far from an equilibrium state and continue to evolve long after the gelation process has ceased. 

Supervisors
Professor Bill Williams
Associate Professor Yacine Hemar