Injectable and Cytocompatible Tough Double-Network Hydrogels through Tandem Supramolecular and Covalent Crosslinking

Christopher B Rodell; Neville N Dusaj; Christopher B Highley; Jason A Burdick

doi:10.1002/adma.201602268

Injectable and Cytocompatible Tough Double-Network Hydrogels through Tandem Supramolecular and Covalent Crosslinking

Adv Mater. 2016 Oct;28(38):8419-8424. doi: 10.1002/adma.201602268. Epub 2016 Aug 1.

Authors

Christopher B Rodell¹, Neville N Dusaj¹, Christopher B Highley¹, Jason A Burdick²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, 210 South 33rd Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
² Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, 210 South 33rd Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA. burdick2@seas.upenn.edu.

Abstract

Double-network theory is extended to include guest-host interactions, enabling injectability and cytcompatibility of tough hydrogels. Noncovalent interactions are used as a sacrificial network to toughen covalently crosslinked hydrogels formed from hyaluronic acid. Shear thinning of supramolecular bonds allows hydrogel injection and rapid self-healing, while gentle reaction conditions permit cell encapsulation with high viability.

Keywords: biomaterials; double networks; supramolecular chemistry; tissue engineering.

Abstract

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