Tough Ordered Mesoporous Elastomeric Biomaterials Formed at Ambient Conditions

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Biomaterials Engineering

Background:

• Synthetic dry elastomers typically feature random cross-links and isotropic structures, limiting their use in applications requiring specific anisotropic properties.
• The demand for soft-tissue biomaterials necessitates elastomers with ordered nano-micro (or) mesoarchitectures for enhanced toughening, mechanics, and controlled delivery.
• Current methods for synthesizing ordered elastomers face challenges in cost, 3D control, and maintaining mechanical integrity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a tough, ordered mesoporous elastomer with controlled nano-microstructure.
• To achieve anisotropic properties and hierarchical toughening inspired by biological designs.
• To enable efficient, 3D printable fabrication of complex elastomer structures for advanced applications.

Main Methods:

• Bottom-up lyotropic self-assembly of polymerizable amphiphilic triblock copolymers and hydrophobic polymers.
• Covalent cross-linking combined with physical hydrophobic entanglements for molecular multinetwork formation.
• 3D printing and photo-cross-linking at ambient conditions for fabrication.

Main Results:

• Formation of a well-ordered hexagonal arrangement of nanofibrils with nanoscale periodicity and micron-scale orientation.
• Hierarchical toughening, excellent stiffness, and elongation comparable to silicone and vulcanized rubber.
• Successful 3D printing of complex objects with tailorable features and demonstrated functionalization for drug delivery.

Conclusions:

• The developed ordered mesoporous elastomer overcomes limitations of traditional synthetic elastomers.
• Its unique structure provides superior mechanical properties and enables advanced functionalities like targeted drug delivery.
• This biomaterial offers a promising platform for sophisticated applications in tissue engineering and beyond.