Project description:Hydrogel-encapsulated catalysts are an attractive tool for low-cost intensification of (bio)-processes. Polyvinyl alcohol-sodium alginate hydrogels crosslinked with boric acid and post-cured with sulfate (PVA-SA-BS) have been applied in bioproduction and water treatment processes, but the low pH required for crosslinking may negatively affect biocatalyst functionality. Here, we investigate how crosslinking pH (3, 4, and 5) and time (1, 2, and 8 h) affect the physicochemical, elastic, and process properties of PVA-SA-BS beads. Overall, bead properties were most affected by crosslinking pH. Beads produced at pH 3 and 4 were smaller and contained larger internal cavities, while optical coherence tomography suggested polymer cross-linking density was higher. Optical coherence elastography revealed PVA-SA-BS beads produced at pH 3 and 4 were stiffer than pH 5 beads. Dextran Blue release showed that pH 3-produced beads enabled higher diffusion rates and were more porous. Last, over a 28-day incubation, pH 3 and 4 beads lost more microspheres (as cell proxies) than beads produced at pH 5, while the latter released more polymer material. Overall, this study provides a path forward to tailor PVA-SA-BS hydrogel bead properties towards a broad range of applications, such as chemical, enzymatic, and microbially catalyzed (bio)-processes.
Project description:This study involved synthesis of a novel antibacterial heterocyclic compound, sodium 2-(2-(3-phenyl-1, 2, 4-oxadiazol-5-yl) phenoxy) acetate abbreviated as Na-POPA. Further development of a biocompatible, pH-responsive hydrogel drug carrier prepared utilizing the natural polymers gelatin and sodium alginate. The compound loaded on the hydrogel represented new drug delivery system. Comprehensive characterization of Na-POPA was performed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR), carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (¹³C NMR), and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). The compound was loaded onto the sodium alginate/gelatin hydrogel carrier under feasible experimental conditions. The successful incorporation of Na-POPA into the hydrogel matrix was confirmed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (pXRD) analysis and FT-IR spectroscopy. Cytotoxicity assays revealed that the all the loaded and unloaded compound induced cell toxicity at large concentration much lower than many reported results. The hydrogel reduced the inherent cytotoxicity of Na-POPA and enhanced its biocompatibility. The release kinetics of Na-POPA from the hydrogel were evaluated spectrophotometrically at different pH conditions simulating biological fluids. The release rate at pH 1.2 was greater than the release at pH 6.8, with a higher cumulative release observed at pH 6.8. The release kinetics obeyed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, indicating a controlled release mechanism influenced by the hydrogel's physicochemical properties. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry further confirmed that the compound release was pH-dependent. The high swelling and solubility at pH 6.8 enhance the release. The larger amount released at 6.8 (target intestine) because of more solubility, leaching and swelling rather than shrinking.
Project description:The conductive hydrogels (CHs) are promising for developing flexible energy storage devices, flexible sensors, and electronic skin due to the unique features of excellent flexibility and high conductivity. However, poor biocompatibility and antibacterial properties seriously limit their application in the biomedical field. Collagen, one of the main components of the extracellular Matrix (ECM), is the ideal matrix for constructing hydrogels due to good biocompatibility with human tissue. Here, dopamine-polypyrrole-collagen (DA-PPY-COL) hydrogel was constructed by dopamine-mediated pyrrole in situ polymerization in a collagen matrix. As a strain sensor, it can be affixed to different parts of the human body to monitor large-scale motion movements and fine micro-expressions in real time. The performance was attributed to its good self-adhesion, flexibility, and electrical conductivity. Biological experiments have shown that it has good antimicrobial properties, biocompatibility, and degradability, allowing the hydrogel to safely monitor human motor behavior. This work not only offers a material preparation strategy for constructing biomimetic electronic skin and wearable sensors but also demonstrates the great potential prospect for implantable degradable medical device applications.
Project description:With the commitment to reducing environmental impact, bio-based and biodegradable aerogels may be one approach when looking for greener solutions with similar attributes to current foam-like materials. This study aimed to enhance the mechanical, thermal, and flame-retardant behavior of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) aerogels by adding sodium alginate (SA) and tannic acid (TA). Aerogels were obtained by freeze-drying and post-ion crosslinking through calcium chloride (CaCl2) and boric acid (H3BO3) solutions. The incorporation of TA and SA enhanced the PVA aerogel's mechanical properties, as shown by their high compressive specific moduli, reaching up to a six-fold increase after crosslinking and drying. The PVA/TA/SA aerogels presented a thermal conductivity of 0.043 to 0.046 W/m·K, while crosslinked ones showed higher values (0.049 to 0.060 W/m·K). Under TGA pyrolytic conditions, char layer formation reduced the thermal degradation rate of samples. After crosslinking, a seven-fold decrease in the thermal degradation rate was observed, confirming the high thermal stability of the formed foams. Regarding flammability, aerogels were tested through cone calorimetry. PVA/TA/SA aerogels showed a significant drop in the main parameters, such as the heat release rate (HRR) and the fire growth (FIGRA). The ion crosslinking resulted in a further reduction, confirming the improvement in the fire resistance of the modified compositions.
Project description:With the exploitation of rare earth ore, more and more REEs came into groundwater. This was a waste of resources and could be harmful to the organisms. This study aimed to find an efficient adsorption material to mitigate the above issue. Through doping sodium alginate (SA) with poly-γ-glutamate (PGA), an immobilized gel particle material was produced. The composite exhibited excellent capacity for adsorbing rare earth elements (REEs). The amount of La3+ adsorbed on the SA-PGA gel particles reached approximately 163.93 mg/g compared to the 81.97 mg/g adsorbed on SA alone. The factors that potentially affected the adsorption efficiency of the SA-PGA composite, including the initial concentration of REEs, the adsorbent dosage, and the pH of the solution, were investigated. 15 types of REEs in single and mixed aqueous solutions were used to explore the selective adsorption of REEs on gel particles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy analyses of the SA and SA-PGA gel beads suggested that the carboxyl groups in the composite might play a key role in the adsorption process and the morphology of SA-PGA changed from the compact structure of SA to a porous structure after doping PGA. The kinetics and thermodynamics of the adsorption of REEs were well fit with the pseudo-second-order equation and the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model, respectively. It appears that SA-PGA is useful for recycling REEs from wastewater.
Project description:Strain sensors based on conducting polymer hydrogels are considered highly promising candidates for wearable electronic devices. However, existing conducting polymer hydrogels are susceptible to aging, damage, and failure, which can greatly deteriorate the sensing performance of strain sensors based on these substances and the accuracy of data collection under large deformation. Developing conductive polymer hydrogels with concurrent high sensing performance and self-healing capability is a critical yet challenging task to improve the stability and lifetime of strain sensors. Herein, we design a self-healable conducting polymer hydrogel by compositing poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) nanofibers and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) via both physical and chemical crosslinking. This PEDOT:PSS-PVA nanocomposite hydrogel strain sensor displays an excellent strain monitoring range (>200%), low hysteresis (<1.6%), a high gauge factor (GF = 3.18), and outstanding self-healing efficiency (>83.5%). Electronic skins based on such hydrogel strain sensors can perform the accurate monitoring of various physiological signals, including swallowing, finger bending, and knee bending. This work presents a novel conducting polymer hydrogel strain sensor demonstrating both high sensing performance and self-healability, which can satisfy broad application scenarios, such as wearable electronics, health monitoring, etc.
Project description:Thromboembolism caused by the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) remains common among patients with existing heart diseases and contributes to significant morbidity and mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Various surface modification strategies have been proposed, showing that the methacrylated alginate (MA-SA) hydrogel layer is transparent, which aids the observation of the thromboembolism from the inner wall of the tubing. In the combined dynamic and static blood of ECMO tubing inner surface in vitro experiments, it was also demonstrated that the adhesion of blood clots to the surface of vessels was remarkably reduced, and the MA-SA-based hydrogel coating could significantly prolong the activated partial thrombin time and block the endogenous coagulation. The favorable properties of natural polysaccharides of hydrogel coatings make them the best surface material choices to be applied for blood-contacting medical devices and significantly improve anticoagulant performance.
Project description:Self-healable PAA/PPy-Fe composite hydrogels have been simply synthesized in one step and utilized for antibacterial and electrical conductivity application. The network of hydrogel is composed of polyacrylic acid (PAA) and Fe3+ ions with interlacing of the second polymeric chain of polypyrrole (PPy). In this study, ammonium persulfate (APS) was utilized to initiate the polymerization of both acrylic acid and pyrrole. Such hydrogels exhibited good mechanical properties and remarkable self-healing efficiency as well. The self-healing ability of the hydrogels was facilitated by ionic interaction between carboxylic anion groups (COO-) from polyacrylic acid (PAA) and Fe3+ ions. Moreover, the antibacterial activity of the composite hydrogels was examined on Escherichia coli via the disk diffusion method and the zone of inhibition was obtained in the range of 1.26-1.56 cm after incubation for 12 h. In addition, demonstration of the PAA/PPy-Fe composite hydrogels in electrical conductivity applications was performed in which the composite hydrogel was set up in an electrical circuit consisting of an LED and powered by 3 V batteries. The results showed that the electricity could light-up the LED through the PAA/PPy-Fe composite hydrogels and possessed reversible restorability, as indicated by the healed hydrogel consistently lighting-up the LED in the electrical circuit.
Project description:A polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel loaded with guava leaf extract (GLE) has potential applications as a wound dressing with good antibacterial activity. This study succeeded in fabricating a PVA hydrogel containing GLE using the freeze-thaw (FT) method. By varying the GLE concentration, we can adjust the physical properties of the hydrogel. The addition of GLE results in a decrease in cross-linking during gelation and an increase in the pore size of the hydrogels. The increase of the pore size made the swelling increase and the mechanical strength decrease. The weight loss of the hydrogel also increases because the phosphate buffer saline (PBS) dissolves the GLE. Increasing the GLE concentration caused the Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) absorbance peaks to widen due to hydrogen bonds formed during the FT process. The crystalline phase was transformed into an amorphous phase in the PVA/GLE hydrogel based on the X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) characterization showed a significant decrease in the hydrogel weight over temperatures of 30-150 °C due to the evaporation of water from the hydrogel matrix. The zone of inhibition of the PVA/GLE hydrogel increased with antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus of 17.93% per gram and 15.79% per gram against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Project description:Tissue-engineered skin grafts have long been considered to be the most effective treatment for large skin defects. Especially with the advent of 3D printing technology, the manufacture of artificial skin scaffold with complex shape and structure is becoming more convenient. However, the matrix material used as the bio-ink for 3D printing artificial skin is still a challenge. To address this issue, sodium alginate (SA)/carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC-Na) blend hydrogel was proposed to be the bio-ink for artificial skin fabrication, and SA/CMC-Na (SC) composite hydrogels at different compositions were investigated in terms of morphology, thermal properties, mechanical properties, and biological properties, so as to screen out the optimal composition ratio of SC for 3D printing artificial skin. Moreover, the designed SC composite hydrogel skin membranes were used for rabbit wound defeat repairing to evaluate the repair effect. Results show that SC4:1 blend hydrogel possesses the best mechanical properties, good moisturizing ability, proper degradation rate, and good biocompatibility, which is most suitable for 3D printing artificial skin. This research provides a process guidance for the design and fabrication of SA/CMC-Na composite artificial skin.