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Kalulu M, Chilikwazi B, Hu J, Fu G. Soft Actuators and Actuation: Design, Synthesis, and Applications. Macromol Rapid Commun 2024:e2400282. [PMID: 38850266 DOI: 10.1002/marc.202400282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2024] [Revised: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/10/2024]
Abstract
Soft actuators are one of the most promising technological advancements with potential solutions to diverse fields' day-to-day challenges. Soft actuators derived from hydrogel materials possess unique features such as flexibility, responsiveness to stimuli, and intricate deformations, making them ideal for soft robotics, artificial muscles, and biomedical applications. This review provides an overview of material composition and design techniques for hydrogel actuators, exploring 3D printing, photopolymerization, cross-linking, and microfabrication methods for improved actuation. It examines applications of hydrogel actuators in biomedical, soft robotics, bioinspired systems, microfluidics, lab-on-a-chip devices, and environmental, and energy systems. Finally, it discusses challenges, opportunities, advancements, and regulatory aspects related to hydrogel actuators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mulenga Kalulu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Jiangning, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 211189, P. R. China
- Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, The University of Zambia, Lusaka, 10101, Zambia
| | - Bright Chilikwazi
- Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, The University of Zambia, Lusaka, 10101, Zambia
| | - Jun Hu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Jiangning, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 211189, P. R. China
| | - Guodong Fu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Jiangning, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 211189, P. R. China
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Wei Z, Wang S, Hirvonen J, Santos HA, Li W. Microfluidics Fabrication of Micrometer-Sized Hydrogels with Precisely Controlled Geometries for Biomedical Applications. Adv Healthc Mater 2022; 11:e2200846. [PMID: 35678152 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202200846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Micrometer-sized hydrogels are cross-linked three-dimensional network matrices with high-water contents and dimensions ranging from several to hundreds of micrometers. Due to their excellent biocompatibility and capability to mimic physiological microenvironments in vivo, micrometer-sized hydrogels have attracted much attention in the biomedical engineering field. Their biological properties and applications are primarily influenced by their chemical compositions and geometries. However, inhomogeneous morphologies and uncontrollable geometries limit traditional micrometer-sized hydrogels obtained by bulk mixing. In contrast, microfluidic technology holds great potential for the fabrication of micrometer-sized hydrogels since their geometries, sizes, structures, compositions, and physicochemical properties can be precisely manipulated on demand based on the excellent control over fluids. Therefore, micrometer-sized hydrogels fabricated by microfluidic technology have been applied in the biomedical field, including drug encapsulation, cell encapsulation, and tissue engineering. This review introduces micrometer-sized hydrogels with various geometries synthesized by different microfluidic devices, highlighting their advantages in various biomedical applications over those from traditional approaches. Overall, emerging microfluidic technologies enrich the geometries and morphologies of hydrogels and accelerate translation for industrial production and clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenyang Wei
- Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | - Shiqi Wang
- Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | - Jouni Hirvonen
- Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | - Hélder A Santos
- Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, W.J. Kolff Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Materials Science, University Medical Center Groningen/University of Groningen, Ant. Deusinglaan 1, Groningen, 9713 AV, The Netherlands
| | - Wei Li
- Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
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Xu Y, Zhu H, Denduluri A, Ou Y, Erkamp NA, Qi R, Shen Y, Knowles TPJ. Recent Advances in Microgels: From Biomolecules to Functionality. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2022; 18:e2200180. [PMID: 35790106 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202200180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The emerging applications of hydrogel materials at different length scales, in areas ranging from sustainability to health, have driven the progress in the design and manufacturing of microgels. Microgels can provide miniaturized, monodisperse, and regulatable compartments, which can be spatially separated or interconnected. These microscopic materials provide novel opportunities for generating biomimetic cell culture environments and are thus key to the advances of modern biomedical research. The evolution of the physical and chemical properties has, furthermore, highlighted the potentials of microgels in the context of materials science and bioengineering. This review describes the recent research progress in the fabrication, characterization, and applications of microgels generated from biomolecular building blocks. A key enabling technology allowing the tailoring of the properties of microgels is their synthesis through microfluidic technologies, and this paper highlights recent advances in these areas and their impact on expanding the physicochemical parameter space accessible using microgels. This review finally discusses the emerging roles that microgels play in liquid-liquid phase separation, micromechanics, biosensors, and regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yufan Xu
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Hongjia Zhu
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Akhila Denduluri
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Yangteng Ou
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Nadia A Erkamp
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Runzhang Qi
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Yi Shen
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
- The University of Sydney Nano Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK
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Xu Y, Qi R, Zhu H, Li B, Shen Y, Krainer G, Klenerman D, Knowles TPJ. Liquid-Liquid Phase-Separated Systems from Reversible Gel-Sol Transition of Protein Microgels. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2021; 33:e2008670. [PMID: 34235786 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202008670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Liquid-liquid phase-separated biomolecular systems are increasingly recognized as key components in the intracellular milieu where they provide spatial organization to the cytoplasm and the nucleoplasm. The widespread use of phase-separated systems by nature has given rise to the inspiration of engineering such functional systems in the laboratory. In particular, reversible gelation of liquid-liquid phase-separated systems could confer functional advantages to the generation of new soft materials. Such gelation processes of biomolecular condensates have been extensively studied due to their links with disease. However, the inverse process, the gel-sol transition, has been less explored. Here, a thermoresponsive gel-sol transition of an extracellular protein in microgel form is explored, resulting in an all-aqueous liquid-liquid phase-separated system with high homogeneity. During this gel-sol transition, elongated gelatin microgels are demonstrated to be converted to a spherical geometry due to interfacial tension becoming the dominant energetic contribution as elasticity diminishes. The phase-separated system is further explored with respect to the diffusion of small particles for drug-release scenarios. Together, this all-aqueous system opens up a route toward size-tunable and monodisperse synthetic biomolecular condensates and controlled liquid-liquid interfaces, offering possibilities for applications in bioengineering and biomedicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yufan Xu
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Runzhang Qi
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Hongjia Zhu
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Bing Li
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Yi Shen
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia
| | - Georg Krainer
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - David Klenerman
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK
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Shen Y, Levin A, Kamada A, Toprakcioglu Z, Rodriguez-Garcia M, Xu Y, Knowles TPJ. From Protein Building Blocks to Functional Materials. ACS NANO 2021; 15:5819-5837. [PMID: 33760579 PMCID: PMC8155333 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c08510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Proteins are the fundamental building blocks for high-performance materials in nature. Such materials fulfill structural roles, as in the case of silk and collagen, and can generate active structures including the cytoskeleton. Attention is increasingly turning to this versatile class of molecules for the synthesis of next-generation green functional materials for a range of applications. Protein nanofibrils are a fundamental supramolecular unit from which many macroscopic protein materials are formed. In this Review, we focus on the multiscale assembly of such protein nanofibrils formed from naturally occurring proteins into new supramolecular architectures and discuss how they can form the basis of material systems ranging from bulk gels, films, fibers, micro/nanogels, condensates, and active materials. We review current and emerging approaches to process and assemble these building blocks in a manner which is different to their natural evolutionarily selected role but allows the generation of tailored functionality, with a focus on microfluidic approaches. We finally discuss opportunities and challenges for this class of materials, including applications that can be involved in this material system which consists of fully natural, biocompatible, and biodegradable feedstocks yet has the potential to generate materials with performance and versatility rivalling that of the best synthetic polymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Shen
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
- School
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Sydney, 2006 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Aviad Levin
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Ayaka Kamada
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Zenon Toprakcioglu
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Marc Rodriguez-Garcia
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
- Xampla, the BioInnovation Building, 25 Cambridge
Science Park Road, Cambridge CB4 0FW, U.K.
| | - Yufan Xu
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Tuomas P. J. Knowles
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
- Cavendish
Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, U.K.
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