Flexible,high sensitive and radiation-resistant pressure-sensing hydrogel

Excellent radiation resistance is a prerequisite for pressure-sensitive hydrogels to be used in high-energy radiation environments. In this work, tannic acid-modified boron nitride nanosheet（BNNS-TA） is first prepared as the radiation-resistant additive by a facile one-step ball milling of hexagonal boron nitride and tannic acid. Then, polyacrylamide（PAAm）-based pressure-sensitive hydrogel doped with BNNS-TA and Fe³⁺ions is fabricated. The ternary BNNS-TA/Fe³⁺/PAAm hydrogel...     

Electrokinetic concentration enrichment within a microfluidic device using a hydrogel microplug

A simple and efficient approach for concentration of charged molecules in microfluidic devices is described. The functional component of the system is a hydrogel microplug photopolymerized within the main channel of a microfluidic device. When an appropriately biased voltage is applied across the hydrogel, charged analyte molecules move from the source well toward the hydrogel. Transport of the analyte through the hydrogel is slow compared to its velocity in the microfluidic channel, however, and therefore it concentrates at the hydrogel/solution interface. For an uncharged hydrogel, a bias of 100 V leads to a approximately 500-fold enrichment of the DNA concentration within 150 s, while the same conditions result in an enrichment of only 50-fold for fluorescein. Somewhat lower enrichment factors are observed when a negatively charged hydrogel is used. A qualitative model is proposed to account for the observed behavior.     

Use of beta-cyclodextrins to prevent modifications of the properties of carbopol hydrogels due to carbopol-drug interactions

Carbomers are carboxyvinylic derivatives that are widely used in the manufacture of hydrogel dosage forms. Because of their anionic nature and large number of acid groups, they tend to interact with cationic substances, and with other hydrophilic polymers containing alcohol groups. Here, we report a study of interactions between the carbomer Carbopol and the cationic drug propranolol hydrochloride in the solid state and in solution, and of the effects of such interactions on the properties of the hydrogel. We found that the drug forms an insoluble ionic complex with the polymer, modifying all of the hydrogel properties studied (swelling, release, bioadhesion). The inclusion of beta-cyclodextrin in the formulation reduces polymer/drug interactions, so that hydrogel properties remain unchanged. This is probably attributable to formation of inclusion complexes of beta-cyclodextrin and the drug, so that the drug is prevented from interacting with the polymer.     

强韧抗溶胀水凝胶的简单构筑及性能

以聚乙烯醇(PVA)和壳聚糖(CS)为原料, 采用循环冻融法制备了前驱体水凝胶(PVA-CS), 并经过浸泡氯化钠溶液和透析后处理构筑了强韧抗溶胀复合水凝胶(PVA-CS-6.16-30). 采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、 傅里叶变换红外光谱仪(FTIR)、 X射线衍射分析仪(XRD)、 差示扫描量热分析仪(DSC)及流变仪表征了两种水凝胶的微观结构, 采用拉力机测试了其机械性能. 结果表明: 由于结晶微区、 氢键及链缠结等协同交联作用, PVA-CS-6.16-30具备高效能量耗散机制. 与前驱体PVA-CS相比, PVA-CS-6.16-30的交联密度由7.69×10^?4 mol/cm³增加至9.97×10^?4 mol/cm³, 自由水含量由62.8%降低至52.6%, 网络尺寸由6.11 nm降低至5.21 nm, 凝胶分数由58.6%增加至86.8%, PVA结晶度由14.8%增加至17.2%, 其抗拉强度、 断裂伸长率、 韧性及抗压强度分别为2.9 MPa, 229%, 3.3 MJ/m³和7.6 MPa. 此外, 该复合水凝胶还具有优异的耐溶胀与抗蠕变性能. 在37 ℃的PBS缓冲溶液中浸泡7 d后, 其抗拉和抗压强度分别高达2.8和7.5 MPa, 优于常见水凝胶. 商品化的原料、 简单的构筑方法及优异的综合性能有望推动水凝胶在组织工程和生物医疗领域的应用.     

Convection, diffusion and reaction in a surface-based biosensor: modeling of cooperativity and binding site competition on the surface and in the hydrogel

We study theoretically the transport and kinetic processes underlying the operation of a biosensor (particularly the surface plasmon sensor "Biacore") used to study the surface binding kinetics of biomolecules in solution to immobilized receptors. Unlike previous studies, we concentrate mainly on the modeling of system-specific phenomena rather than on the influence of mass transport limitations on the intrinsic kinetic rate constants determined from binding data. In the first problem, the case of two-site binding where each receptor unit on the surface can accommodate two analyte molecules on two different sites is considered. One analyte molecule always binds first to a specific site. Subsequently, the second analyte molecule can bind to the adjacent unoccupied site. In the second problem, two different analytes compete for one binding site on the same surface receptor. Finally, the third problem considers the case of positive cooperativity among bound molecules in the hydrogel using a simple mean-field approach. The transport in both the flow channel and the hydrogel phases of the biosensor is taken into account in this case (with few exceptions, most previous studies assume a simpler model in which the hydrogel is treated as a planar surface with the receptors). We consider simultaneously diffusion and convection through the flow channel together with diffusion and cooperativity binding on the surface and in the hydrogel. In each case, typical results for the concentration contours of the free and bound molecules in the flow channel and hydrogel regions are presented together with the time-dependent association/dissociation curves and reaction rates. For binding site competition, the analysis predicts overshoot phenomena.     

Spherical phospholipid polymer hydrogels for cell encapsulation prepared with a flow-focusing microfluidic channel device

To prepare spherical polymer hydrogels, we used a flow-focusing microfluidic channel device for mixing aqueous solutions of two water-soluble polymers. Continuous encapsulation of cells in the hydrogels was also examined. The polymers were bioinspired 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine polymer bearing phenyl boronic acid groups (PMBV) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), which spontaneously form a hydrogel in aqueous medium via specific molecular complexation upon mixing, even when they were in cell culture medium. The microfluidic device was prepared with polydimethylsiloxan, and the surface of the channel was treated with fluoroalkyl compound to prevent sticking of the polymers on the surface. The microfluidic channel process could control the diameter of the spherical hydrogels in the range of 30-90 μm and generated highly monodispersed diameter spherical hydrogels. We found that the polymer distribution in the hydrogel was influenced by the PVA concentration and that the hydrogel could be dissociated by the addition of d-sorbitol to the suspension. The single cells could be encapsulated and remain viable in the hydrogels. The localized distribution of polymers in the hydrogel may provide an environment for modulating cell function. It is concluded that the spontaneous hydrogel formation between PMBV and PVA in the flow-focusing microfluidic channel device is applicable for continuous preparation of a spherical hydrogel-encapsulating living cell.     

Influence of transport properties in electric field gradient focusing

Miniaturized devices for electric field gradient focusing (EFGF) were developed that consist of a cylindrical separation channel surrounded by an acrylic-based polymer hydrogel. The ionic transport properties of the hydrogel enable the manipulation of the electric field inside the separation channel. A changing cross-section design was used in which the hydrogel is shaped such that an electric field gradient is established in the separation channel. One of the challenges with this type of EFGF device has been that experimental resolution between protein analytes is lower than theoretically predicted. In order to investigate this phenomenon, a mathematical transport model was developed using FEMLAB. Model results and experimental observations showed that the reduced performance was caused by concentration gradients formed in the EFGF channel, and that these concentration gradients were the result of an imbalance in cation transport between the open separation channel and the hydrogel. Removing acidic impurities from the monomers that form the hydrogel reduced this tendency and improved the resolution. These transport-induced concentration gradients can be used to establish electric field gradients that may be useful for sample pre-concentration. Both the results of simulation and experiments demonstrate how transport-induced concentration gradients lead to the establishment of electric field gradients.     

Generation of complex, static solution gradients in microfluidic channels

A microfluidic device is used to generate a complex gradient of diffusible molecules in a static solution. The gradient is precise and steady both in space and in time. This device, made from poly(dimethylsiloxane), consists of three layers. The molecules in reservoirs on the top layer diffuse through the flat middle layer of hydrogel and reach an equilibrium distribution. Microfluidic channels on the bottom layer that are in close contact with the hydrogel contain free solution that has concentration gradients based on the gradient in the gel. The gradient profile in the channel can be designed to have an arbitrary form (within the range of the existing gradient in the hydrogel) by controlling the local direction of the channel at each point.     

Multichannel detection using transmissive diffraction grating sensor

We report a novel transmissive diffraction grating pH sensor made of pH‐sensitive hydrogel. The sensor provides inherently multichannels for a flexible selection of different detection ranges, without involving any additional tuning mechanisms or using multiple sensing elements. Each transmitted diffraction order from the hydrogel grating forms an individual detection channel dedicated to a specific pH range. This unique feature is achieved, simply by enabling hydrogel ridges of the grating to swell effectively in lateral directions, while inhibiting the ridges from swelling in vertical direction and keeping grating period unchanged. Thus by looking at different diffraction orders and measuring their intensity ratio, it is possible to achieve tunable dynamic detection range. Besides, this approach can lead to a high‐sensitivity sensor for detecting subtle pH variations in a narrow pH range near the volume‐phase transition point of hydrogel, with the resolution at the level of 10^?3 pH units. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011     

Property and Application of BACy‐Based Functional Hydrogels

Conventional polyacrylamide hydrogels prepared from the free radical polymerization between acrylamide and N,N′‐methylenebisacrylamide (NMBA) have been frequently used in the biochemical technique like the sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE) to resolve protein mixtures. In this study, we have prepared an alternative polyacrylamide hydrogel from the cross‐linking of acrylamide and N,N′‐bisacrylylcystamine (BACy). In addition, we have compared the BACy‐based hydrogel with the NMBA‐based polyacrylamide hydrogel for their physical properties such as swelling ratio, shear modulus, crosslink density and morphology. Moreover, we further determined whether BACy‐based polyacrylamide hydrogel could be applied to SDS‐PAGE and proteomics research. The results showed that this type of hydrogel is capable of separating proteins and facilitates further in‐gel protein digestion and the following protein identifications by mass spectrometry. In summary, our study provides a basis for the putative application of BACy‐based hydrogels.     

Triterpenoid‐Based Self‐Healing Supramolecular Polymer Hydrogels Formed by Host–Guest Interactions

Pentacyclic triterpenoids, a class of naturally bioactive products having multiple functional groups, unique chiral centers, rigid skeletons, and good biocompatibility, are ideal building blocks for fabricating versatile supramolecular structures. In this research, the natural pentacyclic triterpenoid glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) was used as a guest molecule for β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) to form a GA/β‐CD (1:1) inclusion complex. By means of GA and β‐CD pendant groups in N,N′‐dimethylacrylamide copolymers, a supramolecular polymer hydrogel can be physically cross‐linked by host–guest interactions between GA and β‐CD moieties. Moreover, self‐healing of this hydrogel was observed and confirmed by step‐strain rheological measurements, whereby the maximum storage modulus occurred at a [GA]/[β‐CD] molar ratio of 1:1. Additionally, these polymers displayed outstanding biocompatibility. The introduction of a natural pentacyclic triterpenoid into a hydrogel system not only provides a biocompatible guest–host complementary GA/β‐CD pair, but also makes this hydrogel an attractive candidate for tissue engineering.     

Build in seconds: Small-molecule hydrogels of self-assembled tryptophan derivatives

Small-molecule hydrogels based on amino acid derivatives have promising applications in many biological fields, including cell culture, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. Although these hydrogels have been widely reported to have low cytotoxicity, biocompatibility, and tunable bioactivity, problems such as harsh preparation conditions and complex material design hinder their application. Herein, by adjusting pH to induce non-covalent interactions between small-molecule tryptophan derivatives (N-[(phenylmethoxy)carbonyl]-l-tryptophan, Mw: 338.35), we developed a self-assembled three-dimensional network hydrogel that can be rapidly formed in seconds. And the supramolecular self-assembly mechanism of the hydrogels was also investigated in detail through experimental characterizations and density functional theory calculation. As-prepared hydrogels also exhibit reversible pH-stimulated response and self-healing properties. This study details a research process for the simple and rapid preparation of tryptophan derivative-based hydrogels, which provides more reference ideas for the future development of materials based on other amino acid derivatives.     

Electrokinetic actuation of an uncharged polarizable dielectric droplet in charged hydrogel medium

Electrokinetic transport of an uncharged nonconducting microsized liquid droplet in a charged hydrogel medium is studied. Dielectric polarization of the liquid drop under the action of an externally imposed electric field induces a non-homogeneous charge density at the droplet surface. The interactions of the induced surface charge of the droplet with the immobile charges of the hydrogel medium generates an electric force to the droplet, which actuates the drop through the charged hydrogel medium. A numerical study based on the first principle of electrokinetics is adopted. Dependence of the droplet velocity on its dielectric permittivity, bulk ionic concentration, and immobile charge density of the gel is analyzed. The surface conduction is significant in presence of charged gel, which creates a concentration polarization. The impact of the counterion saturation in the Debye layer due to the dielectric decrement of the medium is addressed. The modified Nernst–Planck equation for ion transport and the Poisson equation for the electric field is considered to take into account the dielectric polarization. A quadrupolar vortex around the uncharged droplet is observed when the gel medium is considered to be uncharged, which is similar to the induced charge electroosmosis around an uncharged dielectric colloid in free-solution. We find that the induced charge electrokinetic mechanism creates a strong recirculation of liquid within the droplet and the translational velocity of the droplet strongly depends on its size for the dielectric droplet embedded in a charged gel medium.     

Influence of atomistic physics on electro-osmotic flow: an analysis based on density functional theory

Molecular density profiles and charge distributions determined by density functional theory (DFT) are used in conjunction with the continuum Navier-Stokes equations to compute electro-osmotic flows in nanoscale channels. The ion species of the electrolyte are represented as centrally charged hard spheres, and the solvent is treated as a dense fluid of neutral hard spheres having a uniform dielectric constant. The model explicitly accounts for Lennard-Jones interactions among fluid and wall molecules, hard sphere repulsions, and short range electrical interactions, as well as long range Coulombic interactions. Only the last of these interactions is included in classical Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) modeling of the electric field. Although the proposed DFT approach is quite general, the sample calculations presented here are limited to symmetric monovalent electrolytes. For a prescribed surface charge, this DFT model predicts larger counterion concentrations near charged channel walls, relative to classical PB modeling, and hence smaller concentrations in the channel center. This shifting of counterions toward the walls reduces the effective thickness of the Debye layer and reduces electro-osmotic velocities as compared to classical PB modeling. Zeta potentials and fluid speeds computed by the DFT model are as much as two or three times smaller than corresponding PB results. This disparity generally increases with increasing electrolyte concentration, increasing surface charge density and decreasing channel width. The DFT results are found to be comparable to those obtained by molecular dynamics simulation, but require considerably less computing time.     

Effect of grafting RGD and BMP-2 protein-derived peptides to a hydrogel substrate on osteogenic differentiation of marrow stromal cells

Osteogenic differentiation and mineralization of bone marrow stromal (BMS) cells depends on the cells' interactions with bioactive peptides associated with the matrix proteins. The RGD peptides of ECM proteins interact with BMS cells through integrin surface receptors to facilitate cell spreading and adhesion. The BMP peptide corresponding to residues 73-92 of bone morphogenetic protein-2 promotes differentiation and mineralization of BMS cells. The objective of this work was to investigate the effects of RGD and BMP peptides, grafted to a hydrogel substrate, on osteogenic differentiation and mineralization of BMS cells. RGD peptide was acrylamide-terminated by reacting acrylic acid with the N-terminal amine group of the peptide to produce the functionalized Ac-GRGD peptide. The PEGylated BMP peptide was reacted with 4-carboxybenzenesulfonazide to produce an azide functionalized Az-mPEG-BMP peptide. Poly (lactide-co-ethylene oxide- co-fumarate) (PLEOF) macromer was cross-linked with Ac-GRGD peptide and propargyl acrylate to produce an RGD conjugated hydrogel. Az-mPEG-BMP peptide was grafted to the hydrogel by "click chemistry". The RGD and BMP peptide density on the hydrogel surface was 1.62+/-0.37 and 5.2+/-0.6 pmol/cm2, respectively. BMS cells were seeded on the hydrogels and the effect of RGD and BMP peptides on osteogenesis was evaluated by measuring ALPase activity and calcium content with incubation time. BMS cells cultured on RGD conjugated, BMP peptide grafted, and RGD+BMP peptide modified hydrogels showed 3, 2.5, and 5-fold increase in ALPase activity after 14 days incubation. BMS cells seeded on RGD+BMP peptides modified hydrogel showed 4.9- and 11.8-fold increase in calcium content after 14 and 21 days, respectively, which was significantly higher than RGD conjugated or BMP grafted hydrogels. These results demonstrate that RGD and BMP peptides, grafted to a hydrogel substrate, act synergistically to enhance osteogenic differentiation and mineralization of BMS cells. These findings are potentially useful in developing engineered scaffolds for bone regeneration.     

Host–guest interaction-mediated fabrication of aggregation-induced emission supramolecular hydrogel for use as aqueous light-harvesting systems

ABSTRACT

Aqueous light-harvesting systems in hydrogels formed by specific noncovalent interactions exhibit both solution and solid-state performance. In this work, the copolymerisation of acrylamide (AM), 4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl) phenyl acrylate (vTPE), and guest units 1-benzyl-3vinylimidazolium (G) was carried out with initiator to form P(AM-vTPE-G). Then, supramolecular hydrogels were fabricated by dynamic host–guest interactions the guest unit and host molecule cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]). The aggregated tetraphenylethylene (TPE) moieties in the polymer chains aggregate together, possessed high fluorescence enhancement during the cross-linking process. Meanwhile, emission characteristics of the obtained aqueous light-harvesting systems were further examined by using the donor (supramolecular hydrogel) and acceptor (Eosin Y disodium salt) system. The process provides a novel method for the production of fluorescence and self–healing supramolecular hydrogel with various potential applications.     

Engineering and analysis of surface interactions in a microfluidic herringbone micromixer

We developed a computational model and theoretical framework to investigate the geometrical optimization of particle-surface interactions in a herringbone micromixer. The enhancement of biomolecule- and particle-surface interactions in microfluidic devices through mixing and streamline disruption holds promise for a variety of applications. This analysis provides guidelines for optimizing the frequency and specific location of surface interactions based on the flow pattern and relative hydraulic resistance between a groove and the effective channel. The channel bottom, i.e., channel surface between grooves, was identified as the dominant location for surface contact. In addition, geometries that decrease the groove-to-channel hydraulic resistance improve contact with the channel top. Thus, herringbone mixers appear useful for a variety of surface-interaction applications, yet they have largely not been employed in an optimized fashion.     

Transient analysis of the effect of the initial fixed charge density on the kinetic characteristics of the ionic-strength-sensitive hydrogel by a multi-effect-coupling model

A chemo-electro-mechanical model is presented in this paper for transient simulation of the characteristics of the kinetic ionic-strength-sensitive hydrogel. It is termed the multi-effect-coupling ionic-strength-stimulus (MECis) model and it couples the chemical and electrical as well as mechanical effects together to predict responsive characteristics of the smart hydrogel to the ionic-strength stimulus of an environmental solution based on the laws of conservation of mass and momentum. The kinetic deforming characteristics simulated by the MECis model are compared with the experiments and achieve a good agreement. Then, the influence of the initial fixed charge density, as a material property of the hydrogel, on the kinetics of the ionic-strength-sensitive hydrogel is transiently analyzed, providing a deep view of the kinetics performance of the smart hydrogel.     

Comprehensive Examination of Mechanical and Diffusional Effects on Cell Behavior Using a Decoupled 3D Hydrogel System

Hydrogels possess several physical and chemical properties suitable for engineering cellular environments for biomedical applications. Despite recent advances in hydrogel systems for cell culture, it is still a significant challenge to independently control the mechanical and diffusional properties of hydrogels, both of which are well known to influence various cell behaviors when using hydrogels as 3D cell culture systems. Controlling the crosslinking density of a hydrogel system to tune the mechanical properties inevitably affects their diffusional properties, as the crosslinking density and diffusion are often inversely correlated. In this study, a polymeric crosslinker is demonstrated that allows for the adjustment of the degree of substitution of reactive functional groups. By using this polymeric crosslinker, the rigidity of the resulting hydrogel is controlled in a wide range without changing the polymer concentration. Furthermore, their diffusional properties, as characterized by their swelling ratios, pore diameters, and drug release rates, are not significantly affected by the changes in the degree of substitution. 3D cell studies using this hydrogel system successfully demonstrate the varying effects of mechanical properties on different cell types, whereas those in a conventional hydrogel system are more significantly influenced by changes in diffusional properties.     

Water-in-oil emulsion separation within a milli-fluidic device

A milli-fluidic method capable of continuous passive separation of water-in-oil emulsions with an efficiency of ～90% is described. Experiments used high oleic sunflower oil or mineral oil as the continuous phase and aqueous solutions of methylene blue, crystal violet, or dextran with methylene blue as the dispersed phase. To achieve continuous passive separation, a device with opposing channel walls of disparate hydrophobicity is used to stabilize cocurrent laminar flow of oil and water. The disparity in hydrophobicity of the channel walls is accomplished by defining one length of the channel with a hydrogel, in this case polyethylene glycol. Emulsion separation is facilitated by introducing the emulsion at the water/hydrogel interface. Advantages of performing separations at the milli-fluidic scale are presented.