Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, Nijmegen, AJ 6525, The Netherlands.
Molecular Imaging and Photonics, Chemistry Department, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, Heverlee, 3001, Belgium.
Adv Mater. 2022 Sep;34(37):e2202057. doi: 10.1002/adma.202202057. Epub 2022 Aug 15.
The materials properties of biological tissues are unique. Nature is able to spatially and temporally manipulate (mechanical) properties while maintaining responsiveness toward a variety of cues; all without majorly changing the material's composition. Artificial mimics, synthetic or biomaterial-based are far less advanced and poorly reproduce the natural cell microenvironment. A viable strategy to generate materials with advanced properties combines different materials into nanocomposites. This work describes nanocomposites of a synthetic fibrous hydrogel, based on polyisocyanide (PIC), that is noncovalently linked to a responsive cross-linker. The introduction of the cross-linker transforms the PIC gel from a static fibrous extracellular matrix mimic to a highly dynamic material that maintains biocompatibility, as demonstrated by in situ modification of the (non)linear mechanical properties and efficient self-healing properties. Key in the material design is cross-linking at the fibrillar level using nanoparticles, which, simultaneously may be used to introduce more advanced properties.
生物组织的材料特性是独特的。大自然能够在保持对各种刺激的响应的同时，时空地操纵（机械）性能；所有这些都不会大大改变材料的组成。人工模拟物，无论是合成的还是基于生物材料的，都远不够先进，也不能很好地复制自然细胞微环境。一种可行的策略是将不同的材料组合成纳米复合材料，以生成具有先进性能的材料。这项工作描述了一种基于聚异氰酸酯（PIC）的合成纤维水凝胶的纳米复合材料，该水凝胶通过非共价键与响应性交联剂相连。交联剂的引入将 PIC 凝胶从静态纤维状细胞外基质模拟物转变为高度动态的材料，保持了生物相容性，这一点通过（非）线性力学性能的原位修饰和有效的自修复性能得到了证明。在材料设计中，关键是在纤维水平上进行交联，同时可以利用纳米颗粒引入更先进的性能。
