School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada.
Department of Chemistry & Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN), University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave West, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada.
Adv Mater. 2024 Nov;36(48):e2409819. doi: 10.1002/adma.202409819. Epub 2024 Oct 12.
Cephalopods use stretchy skin and dynamic color-tuning organs for visual communication and camouflage. Inspired by these natural mechanisms, a fluorescent biomaterial for deformation-induced illumination and optical communication is proposed. This is the first report of 3D printed soft biomaterials infused with carbon dots hydrothermally derived from chitosan and benzalkonium chloride. These biomaterials exhibit a comprehensive array of properties, including significant uniaxial stretching, near-instantaneous response to tactile stimuli and pH, UV resistance, antibacterial, antioxidant, noncytotoxicity, and highlighting their potential as mechano-optical materials for biomedical applications. The hydrogel's durability is evaluated by cyclic stretching, folding, rolling, and twisting tests to ensure its integrity and good signal-to-noise ratio. The diffusion mechanism is determined by water imbibition kinetics, network parameters, and time-dependent breathing. Overcoming the common limitations of short lifespans and complex manufacturing processes in existing soft hybrids, this work demonstrates a straightforward method to produce durable, energy-independent, mechano-optical hydrogel. Combined with investigations, molecular dynamic modeling is used to understand the interactions of hydrogel components.
头足类动物利用弹性皮肤和动态颜色调节器官进行视觉交流和伪装。受这些自然机制的启发，提出了一种用于变形诱导照明和光通信的荧光生物材料。这是第一个报道的 3D 打印软生物材料，其中注入了由壳聚糖和苯扎氯铵水热衍生的碳点。这些生物材料表现出一系列全面的性能，包括显著的单轴拉伸、对触觉刺激和 pH 值的近乎即时响应、耐 UV 性、抗菌性、抗氧化性、非细胞毒性，并突出了它们作为用于生物医学应用的机械光学材料的潜力。通过循环拉伸、折叠、滚动和扭曲测试来评估水凝胶的耐久性，以确保其完整性和良好的信噪比。通过水吸湿性动力学、网络参数和时变呼吸来确定扩散机制。该工作克服了现有软杂化材料中寿命短和制造工艺复杂的常见限制，展示了一种生产耐用、无需能量、机械光学水凝胶的简单方法。结合研究，使用分子动力学模拟来理解水凝胶成分的相互作用。
