High mechanical strength double-network hydrogel with bacterial cellulose

Double-network (DN) hydrogels with high mechanical strength have been synthesized using the natural polymers bacterial cellulose (BC) and gelatin. As-prepared BC contains 90% water that can easily be squeezed out, with no more recovery in its swelling property. Gelatin gel is brittle and is easily broken into fragments under a modest compression. In contrast, the fracture strength and elastic modulus of a BC-gelatin DN gel under compressive stress are on the order of megapascals, which are several orders of magnitude higher than those of gelatin gel, and almost equivalent to those of articular cartilage. A similar enhancement in the mechanical strength was also observed for the combination of BC with polysaccharides, such as sodium alginate, gellan gum, and i-carrageenan.