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Which Component of Urine May Have The Greatest Effect on The Absorbing…

- - - - This is the chosen independent variable!
        
        This is the chosen independent variable because it is the second most present component in urine besides water, without needing/undergoing any special circumstances (water is 91% to 96% and urea is 2% to 5%). Therefore, it is assumed that this component may have the greatest affect on the absorption power of hydrogel polymers compared to other components. "experimenting this variable may lead to more accuracy and reliability of the data!"
      - Physical size and form of urea:
        
        Urea appears as solid odourless white crystals or pellets, available in shops to be purchased. Hence, its desired amount for making the solutions (fake urine) with variety of concentrations can be collected accuartely by measuring its mass using an electronic scale, leading to obtaining reliable and accurate data.
  - - - In the human body (normal urine), ceatine appears in the form of creatine phosphate, stored in skeletal muscles. They are available in shops as supplement powders for bodybuilding purposes (Garage Gym Reviews, 2023). However, due to the high price and difficulty of measuring an exact/accurate amount of them to make solutions (fake urine) with different concentrations, they are not considered appropriate for experiment.
  - - - Uric acid is the ultimate catabolite of purine metabolism in humans and higher primates. It is a weak organic acid that under physiologic conditions exists mainly as a monosodium salt (National Institutes of Health, n.d). Uric acid can be purchased and prepared as both pill (medicine) and powder. Nevertheless, considering that it only appears in urine under special conditions (pH), and the investigation aims to be as realistic as possible, uric acid is not considered a suitable independent variable.
  - - - Solid electrolytes are typically non-liquid, and non-gelled materials that conduct ions. They can be ceramics, polymers, or composites (ScienceDirect, 2024). They are available in shops to purchase, however, as their presense percent in urine is low, controlling/changing their concentration in solutions (fake urine) would not have a great impact. Therefore, they are not considered an appropriate independent variable.
- - - - Synthetic Hydrogels:
        
        These are made from synthetic polymers like polyacrylamide, polyethylene glycol (PEG), and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). They offer tunable properties like mechanical strength, swelling behaviour, and degradation rates, making them suitable for various applications such as contact lenses, diapers, and controlled drug delivery systems (National Institutes of Health, 2022).
      - Composite Hydrogels:
        
        These hydrogels are formed by incorporating nanoparticles, nanofibers, or other materials into the polymer matrix to enhance specific properties like mechanical strength, conductivity, or responsiveness to stimuli. Examples include nanocomposite hydrogels and conductive hydrogels (Frontiers, 2020).
      - Natural Hydrogels:
        
        These are derived from natural polymers like agarose, alginate, chitosan, hyaluronic acid, and collagen. They are biocompatible and often used in biomedical applications such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, and wound healing (Tylor & Francis Online, 2024).
- - - - Measuring the absorbed volume by hydrogel polymers in each solution containing different urea concentrations determines how varying the urea concentration affected the absorption power.
  - - - How to accomplish the desired concentrations of urea?
        
        To accomplish the desired urea concentrations of 0%, 1%, 3%, 5%, and 7%, the required amount of urea is measured using an electronic scale and then divided by the volume of distilled water used to make the solution (fake urine). For example, to have 3% of urea concentration when the volume of water in the solution is 50mL, the required amount of urea (g) can be calculated by 50 x 3/100= 1.5 g. To double check this, 1.5/50 x 100= 3%. These calculations can be used to accurately calculate the required amounts of urea in other concentrations for each solution.
- - - - pH is a measure of the acidity and alkalinity of a solution and can influence the properties of both urea and hydrogel polymers. By controlling the pH of urine samples, it is ensured that any observed effects on the absorbing efficacy of hydrogel polymers are primarily due to variations in urea concentrations rather than pH differences (ScienceDirect, 2006).
    - - Controlling the volume of tap water allows accurate control of the concentration of urea in each solution, increasing the accuracy of the data. Moreover, consistent tap water volume ensures that observed differences in the absorption behaviour of the hydrogel polymers are primarily due to the variations in urea concentration rather than differences in tap water volume. Without controlling the volume of tap water, differences in filtrated collected can hide the true effect of urea concentration on hydrogel polymer absorption efficacy.
    - - By maintaining the same stirring time for all urea concentrations, the consistency across the experiment (high validity) is ensured and the hydrogel polymers' absorption efficacy across different conditions can be directly compared. This allows for reliable data and comprehensive interpretation. However, without controlling the stirring time, differences in absorption between samples could lower the accuracy, reliability, and validity, ultimately confounding the interpretation of the data.
    - - Urea can interact with the polymer matrix of hydrogel polymers through hydrogen bonding and other chemical interactions, influencing its swelling behaviour and absorption capacity (ScienceDirect, 2019). By manipulating the concentration of urea while keeping other factors constant, such as the volume of water used to make the solutions, the effect of urea concentration on the absorption power of hydrogel polymer can be isolated, allowing for the determination of changes in urea concentration correlate with changes in absorption power of hydrogel polymers, increasing the accuracy of the data.
    - - It ensures the high validity and accuracy of the data.
  - - - Temperature variations can affect the rate of urea dissolution and the overall kinetics of the experiment. Fluctuations in temperature can lead to inconsistencies in the results if not controlled or accounted for, lowering the accuracy and reliability of the data (Springer, 2006).
    - - It may unpredictably vary the actual amount of filtrated (unabsorbed) volume by hydrogel polymers, leading to incorrect calculations reflecting the absorption power of hydrogel polymers and inaccuracy in the data (lowering the accuracy and reliability).
- - - - This is the chosen method!
        
        The considered method to experiment is inspired by this, with the difference that in the considered method the volume absorbed by hydrogel polymers is measured and compared to the initial volume of the solution, not the mass change. Furthermore, it is possible to provide all the required equipment to experiment.
- - - - Semi-interpenetrating network
      - Homopolymer
      - Copolymer
      - Self-assembling peptide systems
      - Interpenetrating network