Poly(vinyl alcohol)-heparin hydrogels with varying water content were synthesized for use as sensor catheter membranes. Films were cast from aqueous mixtures of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), a photosensitive cross-linker p-diazonium diphenyl amine polymer (PA), glutaraldehyde (GA) and heparin. After drying, the films were cross-linked by successive UV irradiation and heat treatment. To get an indi...

In this work, antioxidant hydrogels were prepared by the construction of an interpenetrating chitosan network and functionalization with gallic acid. The poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) p(HEMA)-based hydrogels were first synthesized and subsequently surface-modified with an interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) structure prepared with methacrylamide chitosan via free radical polymerization. ...

Injectable hydrogels as an important biomaterial class have been widely used in regenerative medicine. A series of injectable poly(L-glutamic acid)/chitosan (PLGA/CS) hydrogels were fabricated by selfcrosslinking aldehyde-modified PLGA (PLGA–CHO) and lactic acid-modified chitosan (CS–LA). The oxidation degree of PLGA–CHO and degree of substitution (DS) of CS–LA could be adjusted by the amount o...

The development of hydrogels for cartilage replacement and soft robotics has highlighted a challenge: load-bearing hydrogels need to be both stiff and tough. Several approaches have been reported to improve the toughness of hydrogels, but simultaneously achieving high stiffness and toughness remains difficult. Here we report that alginate-polyacrylamide hydrogels can simultaneously achieve high...

To improve actuation of hydrogels, we utilized an emulsion polymerization to engineer porous structures into polyelectrolyte hydrogels. Porous hydrogels generated large deformation as a result of enhanced deswelling mechanisms; for instance, the decreased number of COO(-) groups that must be protonated in porous hydrogels to initiate bending. Measurements of the mechanical properties revealed t...

We successfully synthesized a family of alginate/polyacrylamide hydrogels using various multivalent cations. These hydrogels exhibit exceptional mechanical properties. In particular, we discovered that the hydrogels cross-linked by trivalent cations are much stronger than those cross-linked by divalent cations. We demonstrate stretchability and toughness of the hydrogels by inflating a hydrogel...

Chemistry of Materials is published by the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street N.W., Washington, DC 20036 Article Ultrathin Layer-by-Layer Hydrogels with Incorporated Gold Nanorods as pH-Sensitive Optical Materials Veronika Kozlovskaya, Eugenia Kharlampieva, Bishnu P. Khanal, Pramit Manna, Eugene R. Zubarev, and Vladimir V. Tsukruk Chem. Mater., 2008, 20 (24), 7474-7485 • DOI: 10.1...

Silk fibroin has been widely explored for many biomedical applications, due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability. The aim of this work was to study the role of dialysis and freezing on structural conformation, thermal properties and morphology of silk fibroin hydrogels. Hydrogels were prepared after 3 and 7 days of dialysis and the effect of freezing was analyzed. For that purpose, a pa...

In the present study, we present a method of eletrodeposittion of hydrogels to fabricate cell sheets. In the method, calcium-alginate hydrogels are electrodeposited by water electrolysis. 3T3 cells were cultured on the hydrogels to form cell sheets, and the cell sheets were collected by dissolving the hydrogels. Intact cell sheets can be collected, indicating that the method is useful to create...

Due to their unique structures and properties, three-dimensional hydrogels and nanostructured particles have been widely studied and shown a very high potential for medical, therapeutic and diagnostic applications. However, hydrogels and nanoparticulate systems have respective disadvantages that limit their widespread applications. Recently, the incorporation of nanostructured fillers into hydr...