Tuned cell attachments by double-network hydrogels consisting of glycol chitosan, carboxylmethyl cellulose and agar bearing robust and self-healing properties

Printable hydrogels based on starch and natural rubber latex with high toughness and self-healing capability

Fully bio-based hydrogels with printability, high toughness, self-healing, robust mechanical property and conductivity are highly desired but now remain a huge challenge. In this work, inspired by preparation of "Liangpi" (cold noodles, a traditional Chinese food), a satisfactory hydrogel was constructed using starch and natural rubber latex through a simple heating process. Benefitting from the physical dual cross-linked network, the resultant composite hydrogels exhibited high mechanical properties (ultimate tensile stress of 1.01 MPa with a failure strain of 1500 %, high toughness of 6.28 MJ m^-3), good self-healing ability and 3D printability. Moreover, a conductive hydrogel can be easily obtained by in-situ silver mirror reaction during the heating process, which enable the hydrogel to be used as a wearable sensor to monitor human motions with high gauge factor of 2.027 and good durability (1000 cycles). Taking the advantage of its printability, electronic glove (E-glove) has been easily prepared by printing the precursor sol directly on the glove and successfully used to detect the hand motions exactly. This work provides a new route for the fabrication of multifunctional hydrogels with high performance and opens a new road for designing complex wearable sensors to monitor human motions.

Recent Advances in Injectable Dual Crosslinking Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications

Injectable dual crosslinking hydrogels hold great promise to improve therapeutic efficacy in minimally invasive surgery. Compared with prefabricated hydrogels, injectable hydrogels can be implanted more accurately into deeply enclosed sites and repair irregularly shaped lesions, showing great applicable potential. Here, the current fabrication considerations of injectable dual crosslinking hydrogels are reviewed. Besides, the progress of the hydrogels used in corresponding applications and emerging challenges are discussed, with detailed emphasis in the fields of bone and cartilage regeneration, wound dressings, sensors and other less mentioned applications for their more hopeful employments in clinic. It is envisioned that the further development of the injectable dual crosslinking hydrogels will catalyze their innovation and transformation in the biomedical field.