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A Multifunctional Adhesive Hydrogel with Antibacterial and Antioxidant Properties for Biointerface Applications
Ming Gao1, Jiancheng Liu1, Xiaoyang Li1
1College of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Bio-Fiber and Eco-textiles, Collaborative Innovation Center for Marine Biobased Fibers and Ecological Textile Technology Institute of Marine Biobased Materials, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, P. R. China.
This study developed a stable, adhesive hydrogel using sodium lipoate and tannic acid to improve poly(lipoic acid) (PLA) materials. The new hydrogel offers enhanced adhesion, self-healing, and biofunctionality for biomedical applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Biomaterials Engineering
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Poly(lipoic acid) (PLA) hydrogels exhibit limitations in physiological stability and adhesion.
- These limitations hinder their practical application in biomedical fields.
Purpose of the Study:
- To enhance the stability and adhesive properties of PLA-based hydrogels.
- To explore the potential of integrating sodium lipoate (LANa) and tannic acid (TA) for improved hydrogel performance.
- To evaluate the biofunctionality and potential applications of the developed hydrogel.
Main Methods:
- Constructed a multicomponent adhesive hydrogel by incorporating LANa and TA into a PLA system.
- Investigated the role of LANa in adjusting hydrophilicity and TA in forming hydrogen bonds with polydisulfide chains.
- Assessed hydrogel properties including stability, adhesion (wet conditions, porcine skin), transparency, self-healing, ROS scavenging, antibacterial activity, hemolysis, ionic conductivity, and mechanical flexibility.
Main Results:
- The integrated LANa and TA significantly improved hydrogel stability by inhibiting disulfide bond cleavage.
- The modified hydrogel exhibited enhanced adhesion (up to 289 kPa on porcine skin) and strong bonding to various substrates.
- Achieved improved transparency, self-healing, ROS scavenging (∼92%), high antibacterial activity (>98%), low hemolysis (0.77%), and suitability for strain sensing.
Conclusions:
- The developed multicomponent hydrogel strategy effectively overcomes the stability and adhesion issues of traditional PLA hydrogels.
- The enhanced hydrogel demonstrates significant potential for applications as biomedical adhesives and flexible electronic devices.
- This work presents a viable approach for advancing PLA-based hydrogel technology.
