Abstract
Mechanically robust hydrogels are required for many tissue engineering applications to serve as cell-supporting structures. Unlike natural tissues, the majority of existing tough hydrogels lack ordered microstructures organized to withstand specific loading conditions. In this work, electrospun gelatin nanofibres, mimicking the collagen network in native tissues, are used to strengthen and resist crack propagation in brittle alginate hydrogels. Aligned nanofibre reinforcement enhances the tensile strength of the hydrogels by up to two orders of magnitude. The nanofibres can be arranged as multilayer laminates with varying orientations, which increases the toughness by two orders of magnitude compared with the unreinforced hydrogel. This work demonstrates a two-part strategy of fibre reinforcement and composite lamination in manufacturing strong and tough hydrogels with flexible microstructures to suit different mechanical and biomedical requirements.
Highlights
Hydrogels, water-swollen networks of hydrophilic polymer, are extensively used as scaffolds for tissue engineering since they can provide extracellular matrix (ECM)-like microenvironments and regulate cell fate during tissue regeneration [1,2,3]
The mechanical performance of hydrogel scaffolds is often inferior to that of the native tissues they would replace in tissue engineering applications [4]
Nanofibre reinforcement of hydrogels has been demonstrated to be a flexible mechanism for controlling gel fracture and strength
Summary
Water-swollen networks of hydrophilic polymer, are extensively used as scaffolds for tissue engineering since they can provide extracellular matrix (ECM)-like microenvironments and regulate cell fate during tissue regeneration [1,2,3]. Using hydrogels as tissue engineering scaffolds to mechanically support cells is challenging, as the large volume fraction of water can result in weakness, compliance and brittleness. The mechanical performance of hydrogel scaffolds is often inferior to that of the native tissues they would replace in tissue engineering applications [4]. Development of mechanically robust hydrogels is important to provide sufficient mechanical performance for structural biomedical applications. Having a fibrous microstructure generally allows native tissues to simultaneously possess good stiffness, strength and toughness
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