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Composite biomaterials offer a new approach for engineering novel, minimally-invasive scaffolds with properties that can be modified for a range of soft tissue applications. In this study, a new way of controlling the gelation of alginate hydrogels using Ga-based glass particles is presented. Through a comprehensive analysis, it was shown that the setting time, mechanical strength, stiffness and degradation properties of this composite can all be tailored for various applications. Specifically, the hydrogel generated through using a glass particle, wherein toxic aluminium is replaced with biocompatible gallium, exhibited enhanced properties. The material's stiffness matches that of soft tissues, while it displays a slow and tuneable gelation rate, making it a suitable candidate for minimally-invasive intra-vascular injection. In addition, it was also found that this composite can be tailored to deliver ions into the local cellular environment without affecting platelet adhesion or compromising viability of vascular cells in vitro.

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Abstract-This paper details the development of a textile based fluid handling system with integrated wireless biochemical sensors. Such research represents a new advancement in the area of wearable technologies. The system contains pH, sodium and conductivity sensors. It has been demonstrated during on-body trials that the pH sensor has close agreement with measurements obtained using a reference pH probe. Initial investigations into the sodium and conductivity sensors have shown their suitability for integration into the wearable system. It is thought that applications exist in personal health and sports performance and training. I. INTRODUCTIONO date the majority of research in the area of wearable sensors has focused on the development of devices which measure physical parameters such as motion, respiration and heart rate [1]- [3]. However, textiles are often employed in sports applications to capture body fluids and wick them away from the skin surface. Such fabrics can be used as a platform for the development of biochemical sensors used to monitor the changing composition of fluids such as sweat under stress or exercise.Sweat is a clear hypotonic odorless fluid often described as an ultrafiltrate of plasma. Its major constituents are sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and chloride [4]. It is easily accessible with the sweat rate in human males during exercise measured in the region of 0.85 mg cm -2 min -1 for the lower back. Changes in the composition of sweat can be used to provide information on a person's physiological condition [5]. In addition, prolonged exercise can lead to dehydration and a change in the electrolyte concentrations in sweat. For elite athletes, a visible reduction in performance will occur for a 2 % drop in body weight due to dehydration. Further fluid loss can lead to symptoms such as irritability, headache, dizziness, cramps, vomiting, increased body temperature and heart rate, increased perceived work rate, reduced mental function, slower gastric emptying [6].