Hydrogel foams from liquid foam templates: Properties and optimisation

International audienceHydrogel foams are an important sub-class of macroporous hydrogels. They are commonly obtained by integrating closely-packed gas bubbles of 10–1000 μm into a continuous hydrogel network, leading to gas volume fractions of more than 70% in the wet state and close to 100% in the dried state. The resulting wet or dried three-dimensional architectures provide hydrogel foams with a wide range of useful properties, including very low densities, excellent absorption properties, a large surface-to-volume ratio or tuneable mechanical properties. At the same time, the hydrogel may provide biodegradability, bioabsorption, antifungal or antibacterial activity, or controlled drug delivery. The combination of these properties are increasingly exploited for a wide range of applications, including the biomedical, cosmetic or food sector. The successful formulation of a hydrogel foam from an initially liquid foam template raises many challenging scientific and technical questions at the interface of hydrogel and foam research. Goal of this review is to provide an overview of the key notions which need to be mastered and of the state of the art of this rapidly evolving field at the interface between chemistry and physics

Parametricism vs Materialism : Evolution of digital technologies for development

We build on previous technological developments in CAAD by looking into parametric design exploration and the development of the concept of parametricism. We use the phenomenological backdrop to account for our physical experiences and encounters as well as our mental ones; both evident in the link between parametric design as a process and an outcome. In specific, we previously examined two particular metaphors. The first metaphor addressed aspects of virtual environments that resemble our physical world; In other words, computer model as physical model and digital world as material world. In this volume, we extend the exploration into aspects of virtual environments and their resemblance to physical environments by looking at ‘performance’ aspects: the way in which environments are sensed, measured, tracked and visualised. Moreover, we reflect on matters and materiality in both virtual and physical space philosophically, theoretically, practically and reflectively. The second metaphor looked into the modes and means of interaction between our bodies and such virtual environment. Here we extend the investigation to look at the ways in which measures of environmental performance influence human interaction in real environments. The exploration takes us further to look into the area of design fabrication of the built environment, and methods in which developed processes meet environmental performance requirements, and the innovative outcomes that lead to disruptive technologies getting introduced into design and we revisit parametric design under this focus area