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3D Printed Porous Cellulose Nanocomposite Hydrogel Scaffolds
Published on: April 24, 2019
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Biocompatible, Resilient, and Tough Nanocellulose Tunable Hydrogels.
Amir Rudich1, Sunaina Sapru1, Oded Shoseyov1
1Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Center for Nano Science and Nano Technology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 11, 2023
Summary
This study developed strong, resilient hydrogels using cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) for enhanced mechanical properties. These biocompatible nanocomposites show promise for advanced material applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Science
- Biomaterials Engineering
Background:
- Hydrogels often suffer from poor mechanical properties, limiting their practical applications.
- Cellulose-derived nanomaterials offer biocompatibility and tunable properties for reinforcement.
- Graft polymerization is an effective method for modifying cellulose and creating composite materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate robust and resilient hydrogels using cellulose-derived nanomaterials.
- To investigate the effect of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) on hydrogel properties.
- To assess the biocompatibility of the developed hydrogel composites.
Main Methods:
- Cerium-initiated graft polymerization of acrylamide onto CNC and CNF.
- Fabrication of polyacrylamide (PAAM) based hydrogel composites.
- Mechanical testing (resilience, tensile strength, toughness) and rheological analysis.
- In vitro biocompatibility assessment using GFP-transfected mouse fibroblasts (3T3s).
Main Results:
- Hydrogels with high resilience (~92%), tensile strength (~0.5 MPa), and toughness (~1.9 MJ/m³) were successfully fabricated.
- Mixing CNC and CNF allowed for fine-tuning of mechanical and rheological properties.
- The cellulose-reinforced hydrogels demonstrated excellent biocompatibility, promoting cell viability and proliferation.
Conclusions:
- Cerium-initiated graft polymerization is a viable method for creating high-performance hydrogels using cellulose nanomaterials.
- The developed hydrogel composites exhibit superior mechanical strength and biocompatibility compared to pure polyacrylamide.
- These materials hold significant potential for applications requiring robust and biocompatible hydrogels.
