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Semiconductor nanoparticle-based hydrogels prepared via self-initiated polymerization under sunlight, even visible light.

ABSTRACT: Since ancient times, people have used photosynthesized wood, bamboo, and cotton as building and clothing materials. The advantages of photo polymerization include the mild and easy process. However, the direct use of available sunlight for the preparation of materials is still a challenge due to its rather dilute intensity. Here, we show that semiconductor nanoparticles can be used for initiating monomer polymerization under sunlight and for cross-linking to form nanocomposite hydrogels with the aid of clay nanosheets. Hydrogels are an emerging multifunctional platform because they can be easily prepared using solar energy, retain semiconductor nanoparticle properties after immobilization, exhibit excellent mechanical strength (maximum compressive strength of 4.153 MPa and tensile strength 1.535 MPa) and high elasticity (maximum elongation of 2784%), and enable recyclable photodegradation of pollutants. This work suggests that functional nanoparticles can be immobilized in hydrogels for their collective application after combining their mechanical and physiochemical properties.

SUBMITTER: Zhang D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3590559 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Semiconductor nanoparticle-based hydrogels prepared via self-initiated polymerization under sunlight, even visible light.

Zhang Da D Yang Jinhu J Bao Song S Wu Qingsheng Q Wang Qigang Q

Scientific reports 20130101

Since ancient times, people have used photosynthesized wood, bamboo, and cotton as building and clothing materials. The advantages of photo polymerization include the mild and easy process. However, the direct use of available sunlight for the preparation of materials is still a challenge due to its rather dilute intensity. Here, we show that semiconductor nanoparticles can be used for initiating monomer polymerization under sunlight and for cross-linking to form nanocomposite hydrogels with the ...[more]

PMID: 23466566

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Project description:Photopolymerized biomimetic hydrogels with adaptable properties have been widely used for cell and tissue engineering applications. As a widely adopted gel cross-linking method, photopolymerization provides experimenters on-demand and spatial-temporal controls in gelation kinetics. Long wavelength ultraviolet (UV) light initiated photopolymerization is among the most popular methods in the fabrication of cell-laden hydrogels owing to its rapid and relatively mild gelation conditions. The use of UV light, however, still causes concerns regarding its potential negative impacts on cells. Alternatively, visible light based photopolymerization can be used to cross-link cell-laden hydrogels. The majority of visible light based gelation schemes involve photoinitiator, co-initiator, and comonomer. This multicomponent initiation system creates added challenges for optimizing hydrogel formulations. Here, we report a co-initiator/comonomer-free visible light initiated thiol-norbornene photopolymerization scheme to prepare modular biomimetic hydrogels suitable for in situ cell encapsulation. Eosin-Y was used as the sole initiator to initiate modular gelation between synthetic macromers (e.g., thiolated poly(vinyl alcohol) or poly(ethylene glycol)) and functionalized extracellular matrices (ECMs) including norbornene-functionalized gelatin (GelNB) or thiolated hyaluronic acid (THA). These components are modularly cross-linked to afford bioinert (i.e., purely synthetic), bioactive (i.e., using gelatin), and biomimetic (i.e., using gelatin and hyaluronic acid) hydrogels. The stiffness of the hydrogels can be easily tuned without affecting the contents of the bioactive components. Furthermore, the use of naturally derived biomacromolecules (e.g., gelatin and HA) renders these hydrogels susceptible to enzyme-mediated degradation. In addition to demonstrating efficient and tunable visible light mediated gelation, we also utilized this biomimetic modular gelation system to formulate artificial tumor niche and to study the effects of cell density and gel modulus on the formation of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) spheroids.

Dataset Information

Semiconductor nanoparticle-based hydrogels prepared via self-initiated polymerization under sunlight, even visible light.

Publications

Semiconductor nanoparticle-based hydrogels prepared via self-initiated polymerization under sunlight, even visible light.

Similar Datasets

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