Design and applications of man-made biomimetic fibrillar hydrogels

Prince, Elisabeth; Kumacheva, Eugenia

doi:10.1038/s41578-018-0077-9

Cited by 287 publications

(303 citation statements)

References 189 publications

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“…Furthermore, research efforts to reduce the use of fossil fuels by replacing plastic materials with water‐based hydrogel materials is ongoing . In the last decade, numerous hydrogels with good mechanical, structural, biological, and electrical properties have been developed . Hierarchical, hydrophobic/hydrophilic, alginate/polyacrylamide, double‐network, and polyampholyte hydrogels are some examples of recently designed advanced hydrogels with extraordinary properties.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Hydrogels are ecofriendly materials with a high water content, in which hydrophilic polymer networks are highly solvated by water to produce a 3D tissue-like structure. [1][2][3] They have attracted considerable attention in recent years owing to their extraordinary biomimetic properties (e.g., they are biocompatible, soft, flexible, and permeable to various biomolecules, drugs, minerals, and ions). [4][5][6] Furthermore, research efforts In recent years, various hydrogels with a wide range of functionalities have been developed.

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confidence: 99%

“…[7] In the last decade, numerous hydrogels with good mechanical, structural, biological, and electrical properties have been developed. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Hierarchical, [2,9] hydrophobic/ hydrophilic, [3] alginate/polyacrylamide, [4] double-network, [11] and polyampholyte [12] hydrogels are some examples of recently designed advanced hydrogels with extraordinary properties. Unfortunately, because hydrogels contain a large amount of water, almost all hydrogels inevitably dry out in air, reducing their flexibility and functionality.…”

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Double‐Hydrophobic‐Coating through Quenching for Hydrogels with Strong Resistance to Both Drying and Swelling

Mredha

Cui

et al. 2020

Advanced Science

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In recent years, various hydrogels with a wide range of functionalities have been developed. However, owing to the two major drawbacks of hydrogels—air‐drying and water‐swelling—hydrogels developed thus far have yet to achieve most of their potential applications. Herein, a bioinspired, facile, and versatile method for fabricating hydrogels with high stability in both air and water is reported. This method includes the creation of a bioinspired homogeneous fusion layer of a hydrophobic polymer and oil in the outermost surface layer of the hydrogel via a double‐hydrophobic‐coating produced through quenching. As a proof‐of‐concept, this method is applied to a polyacrylamide hydrogel without compromising its mechanical properties. The coated hydrogel exhibits strong resistance to both drying in air and swelling in multiple aqueous environments. Furthermore, the versatility of this method is demonstrated using different types of hydrogels and oils. Because this method is easy to apply and is not dependent on hydrogel surface chemistry, it can significantly broaden the scope of next‐generation hydrogels for real‐world applications in both wet and dry environments.

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Double‐Hydrophobic‐Coating through Quenching for Hydrogels with Strong Resistance to Both Drying and Swelling

Mredha

Cui

et al. 2020

Advanced Science

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“…The network elasticity G is the plateau value of Gʹ at low frequency. For flexible (rubber-like) polymer networks, the elasticity is essentially of entropic origin and arises from the thermal energy k B T contained within a unit volume of the network, that is, ξ 3 where ξ is the network mesh size 77,78 :…”

Section: Structure and Strength Of Food Gel Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some authors claim that the elasticity can be further increased by bundling semiflexible fibrils at a fixed polymer concentration 78,86 . However, this is not justified a priori as this mechanism also leads to the competing effect of increased mesh size, thereby weakening network elasticity.…”

Section: Structure and Strength Of Food Gel Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design principles of food gels

Cao¹,

Mezzenga²

2020

Nat Food

322

169

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Naturally sourced gels from food biopolymers have advanced in recent decades to compare favourably in performance and breadth of application to their synthetic counterparts. Here, we comprehensively review the constitutive nature, gelling mechanisms, design approaches, and structural and mechanical properties of food gels. We then consider how these food gel design principles alter rheological and tribological properties for food quality improvement, nutrient-modification of foods while preserving sensory perception, and targeted delivery of drugs and bioactives within the gastrointestinal tract. We propose that food gels may offer advantages over their synthetic counterparts owing to their source renewability, low cost, biocompatibility and biodegradability. We also identify emerging approaches and trends that may improve and expand the current scope, properties and functionalities of food gels and inspire new applications.

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