Theta-Gel-Reinforced Hydrogel Composites for Potential Tensile Load-Bearing Soft Tissue Repair Applications.

ABSTRACT: Engineering synthetic hydrogels for the repair and augmentation of load-bearing soft tissues with simultaneously high-water content and mechanical strength is a long-standing challenge. Prior formulations to enhance the strength have involved using chemical crosslinkers where residues remain a risk for implantation or complex processes such as freeze-casting and self-assembly, requiring specialised equipment and technical expertise to manufacture reliably. In this study, we report for the first time that the tensile strength of high-water content (>60 wt.%), biocompatible polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels can exceed 1.0 MPa through a combination of facile manufacturing strategies via physical crosslinking, mechanical drawing, post-fabrication freeze drying, and deliberate hierarchical design. It

SUBMITTER: Virdi C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10299711 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature