Review
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Andrea Dsouza, Chrystala Constantinidou, Theodoros N. Arvanitis, David M. Haddleton, Jerome Charmet, Rachel A. Hand
Summary: Hydrogels are three-dimensional structures composed of cross-linked hydrophilic polymer chains. In recent years, the application of hydrogels in bacterial/antibacterial studies and infection management has become increasingly important due to the rise in bacterial infections and antimicrobial resistance. By utilizing their unique physicochemical characteristics, hydrogels have been developed to achieve various bacterial/antibacterial functions such as capture and detection, growth or elimination, antibiotic delivery, and sensing. Recent studies have demonstrated the fabrication of multifunctional hydrogels or composite hydrogels consisting of functionalized single hydrogels, which exhibit synergistic bacterial/antibacterial functions.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yanping Hao, Chao Wang, Weikun Jiang, Chang Geun Yoo, Xingxiang Ji, Guihua Yang, Jiachuan Chen, Gaojin Lyu
Summary: In this study, a multifunctional nanocomposite hydrogel was prepared through radical polymerization in a few minutes. The hydrogel exhibited excellent stretchability, fatigue resistance, conductivity, UV resistance, and antibacterial activity, making it suitable for wearable devices and biological electrodes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cholong Choi, Eunhye Yun, Chaenyung Cha
Summary: Hydrogels and nanofibers have been established as popular materials for biomedical applications, but they are typically used separately due to their distinct attributes and shortcomings. However, integrating nanofibers with hydrogels offers the potential for synergistic combination of their functionalities while mitigating their drawbacks. This review presents recent efforts in developing nanofiber-composite hydrogels, with a focus on nanofiber processing techniques, and introduces notable examples of their implementation in biomedical applications.
MACROMOLECULAR BIOSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ji Liu, James Garcia, Liam M. M. Leahy, Rijian Song, Daragh Mullarkey, Ban Fei, Adrian Dervan, Igor V. V. Shvets, Plamen Stamenov, Wenxin Wang, Fergal J. J. O'Brien, Jonathan N. N. Coleman, Valeria Nicolosi
Summary: Direct ink writing (DIW) is a viable 3D printing technology for custom production of functional conductive hydrogels. This study demonstrates a highly 3D printable PEDOT:PSS-based ink made from commercially accessible raw materials. The 3D-printed hydrogel exhibits high electrical conductivity, outstanding elasticity, stability in water, electromagnetic interference shielding, sensing capabilities, and biocompatibility, showing potential for implantable and tissue engineering applications. The fabrication strategy opens up new opportunities to create multifunctional hydrogels with custom features and expand the applications of hydrogel materials.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Beibei Wang, Weiye Zhang, Chenhuan Lai, Yi Liu, Hongwu Guo, Daihui Zhang, Zhanhu Guo
Summary: A microscale structural design combined with nanostructures strategy is reported for fabricating TOCNF(F)/Ti3C2Tx(M)@AgNW(A) composite films. The synthesized films show impressive electromagnetic interference shielding performance and electrochemical properties, which provides an inspiration for the fabrication of multifunctional films for a wide variety of applications.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Yong Ho Yeo, Kiramage Chathuranga, Jong Soo Lee, Jaseung Koo, Won Ho Park
Summary: Multifunctional and thermoresponsive hydrogels containing methylcellulose, tannic acid, and Fe3+ were prepared in this study with reversible thermogelation properties. The gelation rates and mechanical properties of the MC composite hydrogel were controlled by varying its TA and Fe3+ contents. The hydrogel with a TA-Fe chelating complex showed excellent photothermal effect and multifunctional properties.
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2022)
Review
Polymer Science
Mahsa Sedighi, Neha Shrestha, Zahra Mahmoudi, Zahra Khademi, Alireza Ghasempour, Hamideh Dehghan, Seyedeh Fahimeh Talebi, Maryam Toolabi, Veronique Preat, Bozhi Chen, Xindong Guo, Mohammad-Ali Shahbazi
Summary: Self-assembly is a growth mechanism in nature to form minimum energy structures through local interactions. Self-assembled peptides can design and fabricate various structures using physical interactions between building blocks. Peptide hydrogels, with bioactivity, biocompatibility and biodegradability, have versatile applications in biomedical fields such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, biosensing, and disease treatment.
Article
Polymer Science
Divya Bajpai Tripathy
Summary: Hydrogels have gained significant attention due to their unique properties and have been extensively researched and developed for various applications. They have shown great potential in drug delivery, tissue engineering, wound healing, and agriculture. Future research will involve exploring new materials, improving synthesis techniques, and creating more complex and functional hydrogel systems.
POLYMER-PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY AND MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Edurne Gonzalez, Aitor Barquero, Maria Paulis, Jose Ramon Leiza
Summary: The present work demonstrates the use of green electrospinning to create composite nanofibers containing inorganic nanoparticles. By encapsulating the nanoparticles in polymer particles through miniemulsion polymerization and spinning them with polyvinyl alcohol as a template, it is possible to achieve excellent distribution and encapsulation of the nanoparticles without altering the nanofibers' size. This technology allows for the incorporation of multiple types of nanoparticles, making it a promising technique for sensing and biomedical applications.
MACROMOLECULAR MATERIALS AND ENGINEERING
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Pedro Lavrador, Marco R. Esteves, Vitor M. Gaspar, Joao F. Mano
Summary: Recent advances in the design of stimuli-responsive nanocomposite hydrogels have expanded their potential for operating as advanced systems in various biomedical applications, benefitting from tailored single or multi-responsiveness. The combination of hydrogels and nanoparticles showcases an intrinsic ability to react to external or internal/physiological stimuli, developing intelligent systems with application-oriented features.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shuqin Yan, Lu Wang, Hongdou Fan, Xiufang Li, Haining You, Renchuan You, Qiang Zhang, Weilin Xu, Yingying Zhang
Summary: Silk nanofibril (SNF)-assembled microspheres with extracellular matrix (ECM)-mimicking architecture and high specific surface area were developed in this study. The microspheres demonstrated excellent biocompatibility and enhanced osteogenic differentiation-inducing ability. They could be functionalized with other molecules and nanomaterials, and showed versatile applications in protease detection and blood purification. This natural silk-based nanofibrous microsphere holds great potential as a superior biomedical material for tissue engineering, early disease diagnosis, and therapeutic devices.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Hengzhi Ruan, Marko Bek, Santosh Pandit, Alexandra Aulova, Jian Zhang, Philip Bjellheim, Martin Lovmar, Ivan Mijakovic, Roland Kadar
Summary: This study presents a facile approach of incorporating dopamine and [2-(methacryloyloxy) ethyl] dimethyl-(3-sulfopropyl) ammonium hydroxide via in situ synthesis into gelatin hydrogels. The resulting hydrogels show exceptional antibacterial efficiency and multifunctional performance, making them highly promising for various biomedical applications.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Zeyu Zhang, Patrizio Raffa
Summary: In this study, a zwitterionic conductive hydrogel with excellent mechanical properties and anti-freezing performance was developed and successfully applied in flexible sensors. The addition of LiCl in the polymer matrix enhanced the hydrogel's anti-freezing performance and water retaining properties, while the synergy of chemical and physical crosslinking improved its mechanical performance. Moreover, the integration of PANI resulted in stable conductivity, high sensitivity, and fast response and recovery times for the hydrogel.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Jia Liu, Chen Tang, Jian Huang, Jinhong Gu, Jingbo Yin, Guohua Xu, Shifeng Yan
Summary: This study presents a novel design of nanofiber composite microchannel-containing hydrogels inspired by the subway tunnel structure for cartilage regeneration. The hydrogel exhibits good self-healing ability, improved mechanical properties through the introduction of nanofibers, and sustained drug release. It effectively promotes bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell proliferation and chondrogenic differentiation, showing great potential for cartilage defect repair.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Qingya Zhou, Jiayu Lyu, Guang Wang, Mark Robertson, Zhe Qiang, Bin Sun, Changhuai Ye, Meifang Zhu
Summary: Stretchable conductive hydrogels with high mechanical strength and ultrahigh electrical conductivity were successfully fabricated in a sandwich structure, demonstrating excellent mechanical properties and stable electrical conductivity.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2021)
