Journal
TRENDS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
Volume 32, Issue 11, Pages 564-570Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE LONDON
DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2014.09.001
Keywords
hydrogel; electrospinning; mechanical testing; biocompatibility; nanofibers; composites
Categories
Funding
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) via the Nano Science and Technology Doctoral Training Centre (NanoDTC) [EP/G037221/1]
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council [1354760] Funding Source: researchfish
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Hydrogels closely resemble the extracellular matrix (ECM) and can support cell proliferation while new tissue is formed, making them materials of choice as tissue engineering scaffolds. However, their sometimes-poor mechanical properties can hinder their application. The addition of meshes of nanofibers embedded in their matrix forms a composite that draws from the advantages of both components. Given that these materials are still in the early stages of development, there is a lack of uniformity across methods for characterizing their mechanical properties. Here, we propose a simple metric to enable comparisons between materials. The fibrous constituent improves the mechanical properties of the hydrogel, while the biocompatibility and functionality of the gels are maintained or even improved.
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