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Strong and tough nanofibrous hydrogel composites based on biomimetic principles

Published version
Peer-reviewed

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Authors

Tonsomboon, K 
Butcher, AL 
Oyen, ML 

Abstract

Mechanically robust hydrogels are required for many tissue engineering applications to serve as cell-supporting structures. Unlike natural tissues, the majority of existing tough hydrogels lack ordered microstructures organized to withstand specific loading conditions. In this work, electrospun gelatin nanofibres, mimicking the collagen network in native tissues, are used to strengthen and resist crack propagation in brittle alginate hydrogels. Aligned nanofibre reinforcement enhances the tensile strength of the hydrogels by up to two orders of magnitude. The nanofibres can be arranged as multilayer laminates with varying orientations, which increases the toughness by two orders of magnitude compared with the unreinforced hydrogel. This work demonstrates a two-part strategy of fibre reinforcement and composite lamination in manufacturing strong and tough hydrogels with flexible microstructures to suit different mechanical and biomedical requirements.

Description

Keywords

fracture, hydrogel, nanocomposite, nanofibres, toughness

Journal Title

Materials Science and Engineering: C

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0928-4931
1873-0191

Volume Title

72

Publisher

Elsevier
Sponsorship
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/G037221/1)
K.T. acknowledges the Thai government and the University of Cambridge Nanoscience Doctoral Training Centre (EPSRC EP/G037221/1) for financial support, Anne Bahnweg for SEM assistance, Mark Rainer for electronics assistance, and Jenna Shapiro and Peerapat Thongnuek for helpful discussion. A.L.B. acknowledges the EPSRC Doctoral Training Account at Cambridge Engineering for financial support.
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