We studied the effects of extracellular matrix components on fibroblast contraction of hydrated collagen gels. After 4-h incubations, heparin-containing collagen gels contracted only 10% compared with 50% contraction of control gels. Contraction was not affected by hyaluronic acid, dermatan sulfate, or fibronectin, implying that the activity of heparin was specific. The possibility that heparin...

We report on the microstructure and mechanical properties (elastic modulus) of concentrated depletion and thermal gels of octadecyl-coated silica particles for different values of the strength of interaction--polymer concentration for depletion gels and temperature for thermal gels. The depletion gels are composed of dense clusters and voids, while the thermal gels are devoid of clusters. Shear...

Thermoresponsive gelling materials constructed from natural and synthetic polymers can be used to provide triggered action and therefore customised products such as drug delivery and regenerative medicine types as well as for other industries. Some materials give Arrhenius-type viscosity changes based on coil to globule transitions. Others produce more counterintuitive responses to temperature ...

Gels are kinds of soft and wet materials, having many unique characteristics such as low friction, material permeability, and biocompatibility. In the last decade, the mechanical weakness of the gels has been overcome by the advent of novel high-strength gels, which promises to expand the industrial and medical applications of the soft and wet materials. Here an optical 3D printer was developed...

Researches on both microscopic and macroscopic aggregates are significant, whereas, most studies of have focused building blocks. Fluorescent gels, as the important blocks, show extraordinary fluorescence soft material properties. Herein, Ji co-workers summarized a series fluorescent gels based interfacial non-covalent bonds dynamic covalent (e283).

We show that the same low molecular weight gelator can form gels using three different methods. Gels were formed from a high pH solution either by adding a salt or by adding an acid; gels were also formed by adding water to a solution of the gelator in an organic solvent. The mechanical properties for the gels formed by the different methods are different from one another. We link this to the n...