Self-Healing and Moldable Poly(2-isopropenyl-2-oxazoline) Supramolecular Hydrogels Based on a Transient Metal Coordination Network

Dual peptide-coordinated dynamic hydrogel with antibacterial and proangiogenic activities for infected skin wounds

Infected skin wounds represent a class of significant clinical challenges due to their complexity and the risk of delayed healing. Developing an effective wound dressing capable of promoting tissue regeneration while addressing infections is crucial. In this study, we designed a dual peptide-coordinated dynamic hydrogel with both antibacterial and proangiogenic properties, specifically tailored for treating infected skin wounds. The dynamic hydrogel was constructed using gelatin, a natural biomacromolecule with high biocompatibility, as the base material. Two functional peptides, the antibacterial melittin and angiogenic peptide, were incorporated to enhance both infection control and tissue repair. Hydrogelation was achieved through coordination interactions between gold (Au) ions and sulfhydryl groups, endowing the hydrogel with dynamic properties. The excellent biocompatibility, antibacterial efficacy and angiogenic capability of hydrogel allow it to provide structural support for wound healing while promoting cell proliferation and migration. By eradicating bacteria and stimulating new blood vessel formation, it accelerates the healing of infected wounds. Additionally, its injectability and self-healing properties make it suitable for treating irregularly shaped and deep wounds. This dual-functional hydrogel may offer a promising and minimally invasive treatment option for infected skin wounds, combining high biological safety with simplified surgical procedures.

Biocompatible, porous hydrogels composed of aliphatic polyesters and poly(2-isopropenyl-2-oxazoline). Their application as scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration

In this study, porous networks were efficiently prepared by crosslinking hydrophilic poly(2-isopropenyl-2-oxazoline) (PiPOx) with dicarboxylic polyesters (HOOC-PLA-COOH or HOOC-PCL-COOH) in the presence of sodium chloride as a water-soluble porogen. Importantly, by using a relatively simple synthetic protocol, the resulting spongy materials were freely formed to the desired size and shape while maintaining stable dimensions. According to the SEM data, the porous 3D structure can be altered by the pore dimensions, which are dependent on the porogen crystal size. After porosity characterization, the mechanical properties were also evaluated via uniaxial compression and tensile tests. The porous networks formed hydrogels with a high water absorption capacity. Finally, after showing cytocompatibility by the MTT assay, we also demonstrated the applicability of the porous hydrogels as scaffolds for cell cultivation. The presented results suggest that this type of hydrogels is a promising material for tissue engineering.

Conductive Hyaluronic Acid/Deep Eutectic Solvent Composite Hydrogel as a Wound Dressing for Promoting Skin Burn Healing Under Electrical Stimulation

Burns can cause severe damage to the skin due to bacterial infection and severe inflammation. Although conductive hydrogels as electroactive burn-wound dressings achieve remarkable effects on accelerating wound healing, issues such as imbalance between their high conductivity and mechanical properties, easy dehydration, and low transparency must be addressed. Herein, a double-network conductive eutectogel is fabricated by integrating polymerizable deep eutectic solvents (PDESs)including acrylamide/choline chloride/glycerol (acrylamide-polymerization crosslink) and thiolated hyaluronic acid (disulfide-bonding crosslink). The introduction of PDESs provides the eutectogel with a conductivity (up to 0.25 S·m-1) and mechanical strength (tensile strain of 59-77%) simulating those of natural human skin, as well as satisfactory tissue adhesiveness, self-healing ability, and antibacterial properties. When combined with exogenous electrical stimulation, the conductive eutectogel exhibits the ability to reduce inflammation, stimulate cell proliferation and migration, promote collagen deposition and angiogenesis, and facilitate skin tissue remodeling. This conductive eutectogel shows great potential as a dressing for healing major burn wounds.

Poly(2-isopropenyl-2-oxazoline) as a Versatile Functional Polymer for Biomedical Applications

Functional polymers play an important role in various biomedical applications. From many choices, poly(2-isopropenyl-2-oxazoline) (PIPOx) represents a promising reactive polymer with great potential in various biomedical applications. PIPOx, with pendant reactive 2-oxazoline groups, can be readily prepared in a controllable manner via several controlled/living polymerization methods, such as living anionic polymerization, atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), reversible addition-fragmentation transfer (RAFT) or rare earth metal-mediated group transfer polymerization. The reactivity of pendant 2-oxazoline allows selective reactions with thiol and carboxylic group-containing compounds without the presence of any catalyst. Moreover, PIPOx has been demonstrated to be a non-cytotoxic polymer with immunomodulative properties. Post-polymerization functionalization of PIPOx has been used for the preparation of thermosensitive or cationic polymers, drug conjugates, hydrogels, brush-like materials, and polymer coatings available for drug and gene delivery, tissue engineering, blood-like materials, antimicrobial materials, and many others. This mini-review covers new achievements in PIPOx synthesis, reactivity, and use in biomedical applications.

Masking Strategy Constructed Metal Coordination Hydrogels with Improved Mechanical Properties for Flexible Electronic Sensors

Metal coordination hydrogels (MC-HGs) that introduce dynamically coordinate bonds together with metal ionic conduction have attracted considerable attention in flexible electronics. However, the traditional soaking method alleged to have technical scalability faces the challenge of forming MC-HGs with a "core-shell" structure, which undoubtedly reduces the whole mechanical properties and ionic stimulation responsiveness required for flexible electronics materials. Herein, a novel strategy referred to as "masking" has been proposed based on the theory of the valence bond and coordination chemistry. By regulating the masking agents and their concentrations as well as pairing mode with the metal ions, the whole mechanical properties of the resulting composites (MC-HGsMasking) show nearly double the values of their traditional soaking samples (MC-HGsSoaking). For example, the fracture stress and toughness of Fe-HGsMasking(SA, 5.0 g/L) are 1.55 MPa and 2.14 MJ/m3, almost twice those of Fe-HGsSoaking (0.83 MPa and 0.93 MJ/m3, respectively). Microstructure characterization combined with finite element analysis, molecular dynamics, and first-principles simulations demonstrates that the masking strategy first facilitating interfacial permeation of metal complexes and then effective coordination with functional ligands (carboxylates) of the hydrogels is the mechanism to strengthen the mechanical properties of composites MC-HGsMasking, which has the potential to break through the limitations of current MC-HGs in flexible electronic sensor applications.

A Supramolecular Hydrogel Based on Copolymers of Acrylic Acid and Maleic Anhydride Derivatives with Terpyridine Motifs

A kind of terpyridine derivative (NH₂-Tpy) in which the amino was incorporated by a short alkyl chain was synthesized. Through grafting of terpyridine units into the hydrophilic copolymers of maleic anhydride and acrylic acid PAAMa via the reaction of the amino groups in NH₂-Tpy and the maleic anhydride units, a series of gelator polymers—P1, P2, and P3—containing different contents of terpyridine units was synthesized. Under coordination of Ni²⁺ and terpyridine ligands in linear polymers, the supramolecular hydrogels H1, H2, and H3 with different cross-linking degrees were prepared. The linear polymers P1–P3 had a strong absorption peak at about 290 nm in the UV-vis spectra which was attributed to π–π* transition, and there was a new peak at about 335 nm led by the metal-to-ligands charge transfer (MLCT) when coordinated with Ni²⁺ ions. According to the rheological behaviors, the storage modulus (G′) was larger than the loss modulus (G′′). These hydrogels showed typical gel-like characteristics when the terpyridine content of the hydrogels exceeded 10%, and the hydrogels showed liquid-like characteristics when the terpyridine content of the hydrogels was less than 7%. The results of the micromorphological investigation of the xerogels from SEM illustrated the metal–terpyridine coordination cross-linking could have an important influence on the microstructures of the resulting hydrogels. Furthermore, these hydrogels based on supramolecular cross-links exhibited reversible solution–gel transition at different environmental temperatures. At the same time, the equilibrium swelling of the supramolecular hydrogels was 8.0–12.3 g/g, which increased with the decrease in the content of the terpyridine units in the resulting hydrogels.

Poly(2-isopropenyl-2-oxazoline) as a reactive polymer for materials development

Poly(2-isopropenyl-2-oxazoline) has attracted growing interest as a reactive polymer that can be used as a starting material for the construction of more complex structures.

A ionic liquid enhanced conductive hydrogel for strain sensing applications

Strain-sensitive and conductive hydrogels have attracted extensive research interest due to their potential applications in various fields, such as healthcare monitoring, human-machine interfaces and soft robots. However, low electrical signal transmission and poor tensile properties still limit the application of flexible sensing hydrogels in large amplitude and high frequency motion. In this study, a novel ionic liquid segmental polyelectrolyte hydrogel consisting of acrylic acid (AAc), 1-vinyl-3-butylimidazolium bromide (VBIMBr) and aluminum ion (Al³⁺) was prepared by molecular design and polymer synthesis. The cationic groups and amphiphilicity of ionic liquid chain segments effectively improve the tensile behavior of the polyelectrolyte hydrogel, with a maximum tensile strength of 0.16 MPa and a maximum breaking strain of 604%. The introduction of ionic liquid segments increased the current carrying concentration of polyelectrolyte hydrogel, and the conductivity reached the initial 4.8 times (12.5 S/m), which is a necessary condition for detecting various amplitude and high frequency limb movements. The flexible electronic sensor prepared by this polyelectrolyte hydrogel efficiently detects the movement of different parts of the human body stably and sensitively, even in extreme environment (-20 °C). These outstanding advantages demonstrate the great potential of this hydrogel in healthcare monitoring and wearable flexible strain sensors.

Structurally Dynamic Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications: Pursuing a Fine Balance between Macroscopic Stability and Microscopic Dynamics

Owing to their unique chemical and physical properties, hydrogels are attracting increasing attention in both basic and translational biomedical studies. Although the classical hydrogels with static networks have been widely reported for decades, a growing number of recent studies have shown that structurally dynamic hydrogels can better mimic the dynamics and functions of natural extracellular matrix (ECM) in soft tissues. These synthetic materials with defined compositions can recapitulate key chemical and biophysical properties of living tissues, providing an important means to understanding the mechanisms by which cells sense and remodel their surrounding microenvironments. This review begins with the overall expectation and design principles of dynamic hydrogels. We then highlight recent progress in the fabrication strategies of dynamic hydrogels including both degradation-dependent and degradation-independent approaches, followed by their unique properties and use in biomedical applications such as regenerative medicine, drug delivery, and 3D culture. Finally, challenges and emerging trends in the development and application of dynamic hydrogels are discussed.

A NIR laser induced self-healing PDMS/Gold nanoparticles conductive elastomer for wearable sensor

Self-healing conductive elastomers have been widely used in smart electronic devices, such as wearable sensors. However, nano fillers hinder the flow of polymer segments, which make the development of conductive elastomer with rapid repair and high ductility a challenge. In this work, thioctic acid (TA) was grafted onto amino-modified polysiloxane (PDMS-NH₂) by dehydration condensation of amino group and carboxyl group. By introducing gold nanoparticles, a dynamic network based on S-Au interaction was constructed. The dynamic gold cross-linking could effectively dissipate the energy exerted by external force and improve the extensibility of conductive elastomer. In addition, S-Au interaction had a good optothermal effect, so that the elastomer rapidly healed under NIR irradiation, and the repair efficiency reached 92%. We further evaluated the performance of the conductive elastomer as a strain sensor. The sample could accurately monitor the bending of human joints and small muscle state changes. This kind of self-healable conductive elastomer based on dynamic S-Au interaction has great potential in the fields of interpersonal interaction and health monitoring.

Bioinspired double network hydrogels: from covalent double network hydrogels via hybrid double network hydrogels to physical double network hydrogels

The design and synthesis of double network (DN) hydrogels that can mimic the properties and/or structure of natural tissue has flourished in recent years, overcoming the bottlenecks of mechanical performance of single network hydrogels and extending their potential applications in various fields. In recent years, such bioinspired DN hydrogels with extraordinary mechanical performance, excellent biocompatibility, and considerable strength have been demonstrated to be promising candidates for biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering and biomedicine. In this minireview, we provide an overview of the recent developments of bioinspired DN hydrogels defined as DN hydrogels that mimic the properties and/or structure of natural tissue, ranging from, e.g., anisotropically structured DN hydrogels, via ultratough energy dissipating DN hydrogels to dynamic, reshapable DN hydrogels. Furthermore, we discuss future perspectives of bioinspired DN hydrogels for biomedical applications.

Fluorescence Study of the Influence of the Structure and Hydrophobicity of Fluorescent Dyes and Cationic Surfactants on their Association in Aqueous Solutions

The statistical characteristics of the dependences of the fluorescence signal of analytical systems as a function of the integral parameters of the structure of fluorescent reagents and cationic surfactants on their association in aqueous solutions has been investigated. Molecular weight, surface area, and their first-order molecular connectivity index have been taken as parameters of the structure of the reagents and cationic surfactants. The influence of the hydrophobicity of the reagent and cationic surfactants, such as the octanol–water distribution constant and octanol–water partition coefficient, on the fluorescence signal of the reagent–cationic surfactant associates have also been investigated. It is shown that the associates of anionic reagents with cationic surfactant counter ions are characterised by high stability and a higher analytical signal compared with associates in which there is no electrostatic attraction between the reagent and the surfactant ion. The effect of hydrophobicity of the reagent and cationic surfactant in the absence of electrostatic attraction between the interacting particles is similar. The increase in the role of the influence of the structure of cationic reagents in their association with cationic surfactants, when the electrostatic attraction is absent and the stability of the associates is due mainly to hydrophobic interactions, is noticeable. The regularities of the influence of the colloid-chemical state on the analytical signal of associated cationic surfactants in solutions have been investigated. The study made it possible to formulate a rational basis for the search and design of analytical systems for the determination of large cations by the fluorescence method.