2.3 Rheology of A-SA-Gel hydrogel
The rheological properties of the A-SA-Gel hydrogel were analyzed by
using a rotational rheometer (DHR-3, TA Instruments, USA). A cone plate
geometry was adopted according to the manufacturer’s protocol, in which
the diameter and interpolate gap were 30 and 1 mm, respectively. The
steady-shear rate sweeps were conducted on the hydrogel sample, which
was carefully loaded onto the plate fixture without the air bubbles at
room temperature. Before performing the shear test, all samples were
held for 15 min to eliminate thermal and shear histories. The storage
and loss modulus of the hydrogel samples were measured as a function of
strain amplitude sweep test and frequency.