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An electrospun polyurethane scaffold-reinforced zwitterionic hydrogel as a biocompatible device
Sihang Liu1, Jun Ma1, Liangbo Xu1
1Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310027, China.
Journal of Materials Chemistry. B
|February 29, 2020
Summary
Electrospun fiber scaffolds reinforce zwitterionic hydrogels, enhancing their mechanical strength for blood-contacting devices. This innovation maintains excellent hemocompatibility and dynamic structural integrity under physiological conditions.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Zwitterionic hydrogels offer superior hemocompatibility but suffer from low tensile strength, limiting their use in blood-contacting medical devices.
- Reinforcing hydrogels with external scaffolds is a promising strategy to improve mechanical properties while preserving biocompatibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize electrospun fiber scaffold-reinforced zwitterionic hydrogels (SRgels) with enhanced mechanical strength and retained hemocompatibility.
- To investigate the dynamic structural integrity and mechano-induced self-enhancement of the SRgels under physiological loading conditions.
Main Methods:
- Preparation of SRgels by reinforcing sulfobetaine methacrylate (SBMA) hydrogels with electrospun polyurethane (ePU) fiber scaffolds.
- Evaluation of tensile strength, scaffold-hydrogel interpenetration, and hemocompatibility (blood cell adhesion, fibrinogen adsorption) under dynamic loading.
- Assessment of mechano-induced self-enhancement through preloading tensile strain.
Main Results:
- SRgels achieved a tensile fracture stress of 4.7 ± 0.5 MPa.
- The hydrogel-scaffold interpenetration remained intact up to 2.8 MPa tensile stress at 3.0 mm/mm strain.
- Excellent hemocompatibility was maintained, with minimal blood cell adhesion and fibrinogen adsorption under dynamic loading.
- Mechano-induced self-enhancement was observed, increasing fracture resistance after preloading.
Conclusions:
- Electrospun fiber scaffold reinforcement effectively enhances the mechanical properties of zwitterionic hydrogels.
- SRgels demonstrate a dynamically structural match between the scaffold and hydrogel, crucial for blood-contacting applications.
- The developed SRgels meet the mechanical requirements for use in blood-contacting devices, broadening the application scope of zwitterionic hydrogels.
