High‐Strength Hydrogel Attachment through Nanofibrous Reinforcement. Issue 4 (16th September 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhao, Jiacheng; Kirillova, Alina; Kelly, Cambre N.; Xu, Heng; Koshut, William J.; Yang, Feichen; Gall, Ken; Wiley, Benjamin J.
• Other Names: Xia Younan guestEditor.
• Is Part Of: Advanced healthcare materials. Volume 10:Issue 4(2021)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2020-09-16
• Subjects: bacterial cellulose -- cartilage -- hydrogels -- shear strength -- α‐tricalcium phosphate; Biomedical materials -- Periodicals; 610.28
• DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202001119
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2192-2640

Abstract

Abstract: The repair of a cartilage lesion with a hydrogel requires a method for long‐term fixation of the hydrogel in the defect site. Attachment of a hydrogel to a base that allows for integration with bone can enable long‐term fixation of the hydrogel, but current methods of forming bonds to hydrogels have less than a tenth of the shear strength of the osteochondral junction. This communication describes a new method, nanofiber‐enhanced sticking (NEST), for bonding a hydrogel to a base with an adhesive shear strength three times larger than the state‐of‐the‐art. An example of NEST is described in which a nanofibrous bacterial cellulose sheet is bonded to a porous base with a hydroxyapatite‐forming cement followed by infiltration of the nanofibrous sheet with hydrogel‐forming polymeric materials. This approach creates a mineralized nanofiber bond that mimics the structure of the osteochondral junction, in which collagen nanofibers extend from cartilage into a mineralized region that anchors cartilage to bone. Abstract : Hydrogels are a promising class of materials for cartilage replacement, but they cannot yet be attached to a surface with the same strength as cartilage to bone. This communication reports a new strategy for attaching a hydrogel to a surface with a shear strength that is three times greater than the state of the art.