Tuning Strain Stiffening of Protein Hydrogels by Charge Modification.

ABSTRACT: Strain-stiffening properties derived from biological tissue have been widely observed in biological hydrogels and are essential in mimicking natural tissues. Although strain-stiffening has been studied in various protein-based hydrogels, effective approaches for tuning the strain-stiffening properties of protein hydrogels have rarely been explored. Here, we demonstrated a new method to tune the strain-stiffening amplitudes of protein hydrogels. By adjusting the surface charge of proteins inside the hydrogel using negatively/positively charged molecules, the strain-stiffening amplitudes could be quantitively regulated. The strain-stiffening of the protein hydrogels could even be enhanced 5-fold under high deformations, while the bulk property, recovery ability and biocompatibility remained

SUBMITTER: Gu J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8950043 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature