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Muscle-inspired double-network hydrogels with robust mechanical property, biocompatibility and ionic conductivity
Lihong Geng1, Shuaishuai Hu1, Miao Cui2
1Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials and Products of Universities in Fujian, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Fujian University of Technology, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350118, China.
Carbohydrate Polymers
|April 11, 2021
Summary
Researchers developed advanced double network hydrogels inspired by muscle structures. These materials exhibit remarkable strength, ionic conductivity, and biocompatibility, showing potential for artificial tissues and motion sensors.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Biomaterials Engineering
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Biological muscle tissues exhibit complex hierarchical structures that provide superior mechanical properties and functionality.
- Developing synthetic materials that mimic these architectures is crucial for advanced biomedical applications.
- Existing hydrogels often lack the mechanical robustness and specific functionalities required for mimicking biological tissues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate double network hydrogels with hierarchically aligned structures inspired by muscle architectures.
- To investigate the mechanical properties, ionic conductivity, and biocompatibility of the developed hydrogels.
- To explore the potential of these hydrogels as artificial soft tissue materials and muscle-like sensors.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of the first network using aligned, cross-linked cellulose nanofiber (CNF)/chitosan hydrogel threads via interfacial polyelectrolyte complexation spinning.
- Incorporation of a second, isotropic poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (PAM-AA) network.
- Further cross-linking of the double network structure using Fe3+ ions.
Main Results:
- The resulting PAM-AA/CNF/Fe3+ hydrogel demonstrated outstanding mechanical performance with an average strength of 11 MPa and elongation-at-break of 480%, comparable to biological tissues.
- Aligned CNFs facilitated ion transport, leading to high ionic conductivity of up to 0.022 S/cm with 1.5% LiCl.
- The hydrogel exhibited superior biocompatibility.
Conclusions:
- The hierarchically aligned double network hydrogel structure effectively dissipates energy, leading to enhanced mechanical properties.
- The material's high ionic conductivity and biocompatibility make it suitable for biological applications.
- These well-ordered hydrogels show significant promise for use as artificial soft tissue materials and in the development of muscle-like sensors for monitoring human motion.
