Assembly of viral hydrogels for three-dimensional conducting nanocomposites.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Chen PY
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4878142 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Assembly of viral hydrogels for three-dimensional conducting nanocomposites.
Chen Po-Yen PY Hyder Md Nasim MN Mackanic David D Courchesne Noémie-Manuelle Dorval NM Qi Jifa J Klug Matthew T MT Belcher Angela M AM Hammond Paula T PT
Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) 20140430 30
M13 bacteriophages act as versatile scaffolds capable of organizing single-walled carbon nanotubes and fabricating three-dimensional conducting nanocomposites. The morphological, electrical, and electrochemical properties of the nanocomposites are presented, as well as its ability to disperse and utilize single-walled carbon nanotubes effectively. ...[more]
Similar Datasets
Project description:We report the synthesis of a unique cubic metal-organic framework (MOF), Fe-HHTP-MOF, comprising hexahydroxytriphenylene (HHTP) supertetrahedral units and FeIII ions, arranged in a diamond topology. The MOF is synthesized under solvothermal conditions, yielding a highly crystalline, deep black powder, with crystallites of 300-500 nm size and tetrahedral morphology. Nitrogen sorption analysis indicates a highly porous material with a surface area exceeding 1400 m2 g-1 . Furthermore, Fe-HHTP-MOF shows broadband absorption from 475 up to 1900 nm with excellent absorption capability of 98.5 % of the incoming light over the visible spectral region. Electrical conductivity measurements of pressed pellets reveal a high intrinsic electrical conductivity of up to 10-3 S cm-1 . Quantum mechanical calculations predict Fe-HHTP-MOF to be an efficient electron conductor, exhibiting continuous charge-carrier pathways throughout the structure.
| S-EPMC8456825 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We present a strategic approach to improve the cycle performance of a polymeric binder-free anode based on nano-Si@C microspheres by incorporating a multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MW-CNTs) network and performing carbodiimide-based condensation coupling to form a robust molecular-junction between MW-CNTs and nano-Si@C microspheres. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy reveals that one-dimensional MW-CNTs homogeneously wrapped the individual Si@C microspheres and they interwove through the intergranular nanospace. The incorporation of amide bonds at the junction primarily contributes to the stabilization and reinforcement of the hybrid electrodes. Their reversible capacity after 50 cycles with 0.5 A g-1 was significantly improved from 81 mAh·g-1 to 520 mAh·g-1. Such robustness associated with the supramolecularly assembled MW-CNTs is expected to facilitate electron conductivity and mass transfer kinetics, leading to enhanced electrochemical performance of the Si@C anode.
| S-EPMC7012817 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) tumors, which arise from glia in the central nervous system (CNS), are one of the most deadly forms of human cancer with a median survival time of ?1 year. Their high infiltrative capacity makes them extremely difficult to treat, and even with aggressive multimodal clinical therapies, outcomes are dismal. To improve understanding of cell migration in these tumors, three-dimensional (3D) multicomponent composite hydrogels consisting of collagen and hyaluronic acid, or hyaluronan (HA), were developed. Collagen is a component of blood vessels known to be associated with GBM migration; whereas, HA is one of the major components of the native brain extracellular matrix (ECM). We characterized hydrogel microstructural features and utilized these materials to investigate patient tumor-derived, single cell morphology, spreading, and migration in 3D culture. GBM morphology was influenced by collagen type with cells adopting a rounded morphology in collagen-IV versus a spindle-shaped morphology in collagen-I/III. GBM spreading and migration were inversely dependent on HA concentration; with higher concentrations promoting little or no migration. Further, noncancerous astrocytes primarily displayed rounded morphologies at lower concentrations of HA; in contrast to the spindle-shaped (spread) morphologies of GBMs. These results suggest that GBM behaviors are sensitive to ECM mimetic materials in 3D and that these composite hydrogels could be used to develop 3D brain mimetic models for studying migration processes.
| S-EPMC4333346 | biostudies-literature
Project description:An image-guided micropatterning method is demonstrated for generating biomimetic hydrogel scaffolds with two-photon laser scanning photolithography. This process utilizes computational methods to directly translate three-dimensional cytoarchitectural features from labeled tissues into material structures. We use this method to pattern hydrogels that guide cellular organization by structurally and biochemically recapitulating complex vascular niche microenvironments with high pattern fidelity at the microscale.
| S-EPMC3728891 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Type I collagen is the primary fibrillar component of the extracellular matrix, and functional properties of collagen arise from variations in fiber structure. This study investigated the ability of ultrasound to control collagen microstructure during hydrogel fabrication. Under appropriate conditions, ultrasound exposure of type I collagen during polymerization altered fiber microstructure. Scanning electron microscopy and second-harmonic generation microscopy revealed decreased collagen fiber diameters in response to ultrasound compared to sham-exposed samples. Results of mechanistic investigations were consistent with a thermal mechanism for the effects of ultrasound on collagen fiber structure. To control collagen microstructure site-specifically, a high frequency, 8.3-MHz, ultrasound beam was directed within the center of a large collagen sample producing dense networks of short, thin collagen fibrils within the central core of the gel and longer, thicker fibers outside the beam area. Fibroblasts seeded onto these gels migrated rapidly into small, circularly arranged aggregates only within the beam area, and clustered fibroblasts remodeled the central, ultrasound-exposed collagen fibrils into dense sheets. These investigations demonstrate the capability of ultrasound to spatially pattern various collagen microstructures within an engineered tissue noninvasively, thus enhancing the level of complexity of extracellular matrix microenvironments and cellular functions achievable within three-dimensional engineered tissues.
| S-EPMC3745547 | biostudies-other
Project description:Interaction between dipolar forces, such as permanent magnets, generally leads to the formation of one-dimensional chains and rings. We investigated whether it was possible to let dipoles self-assemble into three-dimensional structures by encapsulating them in a shell with a specific shape. We found that the condition for self-assembly of a three-dimensional crystal is satisfied when the energies of dipoles in the parallel and antiparallel states are equal. Our experiments show that the most regular structures are formed using cylinders and cuboids and not by spheroids. This simple design rule will help the self-assembly community to realize three-dimensional crystals from objects in the micrometer range, which opens up the way toward previously unknown metamaterials.
| S-EPMC7209989 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Pseudopeptides containing the d-Oxd or the d-pGlu [Oxd = (4R,5S)-4-methyl-5-carboxyl-oxazolidin-2-one, pGlu = pyroglutamic acid] moiety and selected amino acids were used as low-molecular-weight gelators to prepare strong and thixotropic hydrogels at physiological pH. The addition of calcium chloride to the gelator solutions induces the formation of insoluble salts that get organized in fibers at a pH close to the physiological one. Physical characterization of hydrogels was carried out by morphologic evaluation and rheological measurements and demonstrated that the analyzed hydrogels are thixotropic, as they have the capability to recover their gel-like behavior. As these hydrogels are easily injectable and may be used for regenerative medicine, they were biologically assessed by cell seeding and viability tests. Human gingival fibroblasts were embedded in 2% hydrogels; all of the hydrogels allow the growth of encapsulated cells with a very good viability. The gelator toxicity may be correlated with their tendency to self-assemble and is totally absent when the hydrogel is formed.
| S-EPMC6044849 | biostudies-literature
Project description:While hydrogels enable a variety of applications in wearable sensors and electronic skins, they are susceptible to fatigue fracture during cyclic deformations owing to their inefficient fatigue resistance. Herein, acrylated β-cyclodextrin with bile acid is self-assembled into a polymerizable pseudorotaxane via precise host-guest recognition, which is photopolymerized with acrylamide to obtain conductive polymerizable rotaxane hydrogels (PR-Gel). The topological networks of PR-Gel enable all desirable properties in this system due to the large conformational freedom of the mobile junctions, including the excellent stretchability along with superior fatigue resistance. PR-Gel based strain sensor can sensitively detect and distinguish large body motions and subtle muscle movements. The three-dimensional printing fabricated sensors of PR-Gel exhibit high resolution and altitude complexity, and real-time human electrocardiogram signals are detected with high repeating stability. PR-Gel can self-heal in air, and has highly repeatable adhesion to human skin, demonstrating its great potential in wearable sensors.
| S-EPMC10006079 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Hydrogels commonly used in tissue engineering are mechanically soft, thus often display structural weakness. Herein, we introduce a strategy for enhancing the structural integrity and fracture toughness of cell-laden hydrogels by incorporating a three-dimensional (3D) microfabricated scaffold as a structural element. A digital micromirror device projection printing (DMD-PP) system, a rapid prototyping technology which employs a layer-by-layer stereolithographic approach, was utilized to efficiently fabricate 3D scaffolds made from photocrosslinkable poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA). The scaffold was incorporated into a photocrosslinkable gelatin hydrogel by placing it in a pre-gel solution, and inducing in situ hydrogel formation. The resulting scaffold-reinforced hydrogels demonstrated significant increase in ultimate stress and provided structural support for weak hydrogels. In addition, the scaffold did not affect the rigidity of hydrogels, as it was not involved in the crosslinking reaction to form the hydrogel. Therefore, the presented approach could avoid inadvertent and undesired changes in the hydrogel rigidity which is a known regulator of cellular activities. Furthermore, the biocompatibility of scaffold-reinforced hydrogels was confirmed by evaluating the viability and proliferation of encapsulated fibroblasts. Overall, the strategy of incorporating 3D scaffolds into hydrogels as structural reinforcements presented in this study will be highly useful for enhancing the mechanical toughness of hydrogels for various tissue engineering applications.
| S-EPMC4000042 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Three-dimensional microfluidics holds great promise for large-scale integration of versatile, digitalized, and multitasking fluidic manipulations for biological and clinical applications. Successful translation of microfluidic toolsets to these purposes faces persistent technical challenges, such as reliable system-level packaging, device assembly and alignment, and world-to-chip interface. In this paper, we extended our previously established fit-to-flow (F2F) world-to-chip interconnection scheme to a complete system-level assembly strategy that addresses the three-dimensional microfluidic integration on demand. The modular F2F assembly consists of an interfacial chip, pluggable alignment modules, and multiple monolithic layers of microfluidic channels, through which convoluted three-dimensional microfluidic networks can be easily assembled and readily sealed with the capability of reconfigurable fluid flow. The monolithic laser-micromachining process simplifies and standardizes the fabrication of single-layer pluggable polymeric modules, which can be mass-produced as the renowned Lego(®) building blocks. In addition, interlocking features are implemented between the plug-and-play microfluidic chips and the complementary alignment modules through the F2F assembly, resulting in facile and secure alignment with average misalignment of 45 μm. Importantly, the 3D multilayer microfluidic assembly has a comparable sealing performance as the conventional single-layer devices, providing an average leakage pressure of 38.47 kPa. The modular reconfigurability of the system-level reversible packaging concept has been demonstrated by re-routing microfluidic flows through interchangeable modular microchannel layers.
| S-EPMC3261078 | biostudies-other