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Injectable Supramolecular Polymer-Nanoparticle Hydrogels for Cell and Drug Delivery Applications
Published on: February 7, 2021
New composite thixotropic hydrogel composed of a polymer hydrogelator and a nanosheet
Yutaka Ohsedo1,2,3, Masashi Oono4, Kowichiro Saruhashi4
1Department of Life, Environment and Materials Science, Fukuoka Institute of Technology, 3-30-1, Wajiro-Higashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 811-0295, Japan.
Abstract:
A composite gel composed of a water-soluble aromatic polyamide hydrogelator and the nanosheet Laponite®, a synthetic layered silicate, was produced and found to exhibit thixotropic behaviour. Whereas the composite gel contains the gelator at the same concentration as the molecular gel made by the gelator only, the composite gel becomes a softer thixotropic gel compared to the molecular gel made by the gelator only. The reason for this could be that bundles of polymer gelator may be loosened and the density of the polymer network increased in the presence of Laponite.
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