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Shmool TA, Martin LK, Jirkas A, Matthews RP, Constantinou AP, Vadukul DM, Georgiou TK, Aprile FA, Hallett JP. Unveiling the Rational Development of Stimuli-Responsive Silk Fibroin-Based Ionogel Formulations. CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS : A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY 2023; 35:5798-5808. [PMID: 37576585 PMCID: PMC10413859 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.3c00303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
We present an approach for the rational development of stimuli-responsive ionogels which can be formulated for precise control of multiple unique ionogel features and fill niche pharmaceutical applications. Ionogels are captivating materials, exhibiting self-healing characteristics, tunable mechanical and structural properties, high thermal stability, and electroconductivity. However, the majority of ionogels developed require complex chemistry, exhibit high viscosity, poor biocompatibility, and low biodegradability. In our work, we overcome these limitations. We employ a facile production process and strategically integrate silk fibroin, the biocompatible ionic liquids (ILs) choline acetate ([Cho][OAc]), choline dihydrogen phosphate ([Cho][DHP]), and choline chloride ([Cho][Cl]), traditional pharmaceutical excipients, and the model antiepileptic drug phenobarbital. In the absence of ILs, we failed to observe gel formation; yet in the presence of ILs, thermoresponsive ionogels formed. Systems were assessed via visual tests, transmission electron microscopy, confocal reflection microscopy, dynamic light scattering, zeta potential and rheology measurements. We formed diverse ionogels of strengths ranging between 18 and 642 Pa. Under 25 °C storage, formulations containing polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) showed an ionogel formation period ranging over 14 days, increasing in the order of [Cho][DHP], [Cho][OAc], and [Cho][Cl]. Formulations lacking PVP showed an ionogel formation period ranging over 32 days, increasing in the order of [Cho][OAc], [Cho][DHP] and [Cho][Cl]. By heating from 25 to 60 °C, immediately following preparation, thermoresponsive ionogels formed below 41 °C in the absence of PVP. Based on our experimental results and density functional theory calculations, we attribute ionogel formation to macromolecular crowding and confinement effects, further enhanced upon PVP inclusion. Holistically, applying our rational development strategy enables the production of ionogels of tunable physicochemical and rheological properties, enhanced drug solubility, and structural and energetic stability. We believe our rational development approach will advance the design of biomaterials and smart platforms for diverse drug delivery applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talia A. Shmool
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College
London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
| | - Laura K. Martin
- Department
of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PJ, U.K.
| | - Andreas Jirkas
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College
London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
| | - Richard P. Matthews
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College
London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
- Department
of Bioscience, School of Health, Sports and Bioscience, University of East London, Stratford, London E15 4LZ, U.K.
| | - Anna P. Constantinou
- Department
of Materials, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
| | - Devkee M. Vadukul
- Department
of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, U.K.
| | - Theoni K. Georgiou
- Department
of Materials, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
| | - Francesco A. Aprile
- Department
of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, U.K.
- Institute
of Chemical Biology, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, U.K.
| | - Jason P. Hallett
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College
London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
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Sheiko SS, Vashahi F, Morgan BJ, Maw M, Dashtimoghadam E, Fahimipour F, Jacobs M, Keith AN, Vatankhah-Varnosfaderani M, Dobrynin AV. Mechanically Diverse Gels with Equal Solvent Content. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2022; 8:845-852. [PMID: 35756385 PMCID: PMC9228556 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.2c00472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Mechanically diverse polymer gels are commonly integrated into biomedical devices, soft robots, and tissue engineering scaffolds to perform distinct yet coordinated functions in wet environments. Such multigel systems are prone to volume fluctuations and shape distortions due to differential swelling driven by osmotic solvent redistribution. Living systems evade these issues by varying proximal tissue stiffness at nearly equal water concentration. However, this feature is challenging to replicate with synthetic gels: any alteration of cross-link density affects both the gel's swellability and mechanical properties. In contrast to the conventional coupling of physical properties, we report a strategy to tune the gel modulus independent of swelling ratio by regulating network strand flexibility with brushlike polymers. Chemically identical gels were constructed with a broad elastic modulus range at a constant solvent fraction by utilizing multidimensional network architectures. The general design-by-architecture framework is universally applicable to both organogels and hydrogels and can be further adapted to different practical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergei S. Sheiko
- Department of Chemistry, University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | | | | | | | | | - Farahnaz Fahimipour
- Department of Chemistry, University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | | | - Andrew N. Keith
- Department of Chemistry, University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | | | - Andrey V. Dobrynin
- Department of Chemistry, University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
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3
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Fan W, Shang K, Shan G, Pan P. Role of salt in the aqueous two-phase copolymerization of acrylamide and cationic monomers: from screening to anion-bridging. RSC Adv 2016. [DOI: 10.1039/c6ra09732d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Mechanism for the anions effect on the aqueous two-phase copolymerization (ATPP) of acrylamide and cationic monomers in poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) aqueous solution was proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weixiao Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Zhejiang University
- Hangzhou 310027
- China
| | - Kuanxiang Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Zhejiang University
- Hangzhou 310027
- China
| | - Guorong Shan
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Zhejiang University
- Hangzhou 310027
- China
| | - Pengju Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Zhejiang University
- Hangzhou 310027
- China
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5
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Zhang R, Shi T, An L, Huang Q. Salt Effects on Sol–Gel Transition of Telechelic Polyelectrolytes in Aqueous Solutions. Macromolecules 2011. [DOI: 10.1021/ma201872e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ran Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics
and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, P. R.
China
- Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing,
100049, P.R. China
| | - Tongfei Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics
and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, P. R.
China
| | - Lijia An
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics
and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, P. R.
China
| | - Qingrong Huang
- Food Science
Department, Rutgers University, 65 Dudley
Road, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901, United States
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6
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Jha PK, Solis FJ, de Pablo JJ, de la Cruz MO. Nonlinear Effects in the Nanophase Segregation of Polyelectrolyte Gels. Macromolecules 2009. [DOI: 10.1021/ma901035e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Francisco J. Solis
- Department of Integrated Natural Sciences, Arizona State University, Glendale, Arizona 85306
| | - Juan J. de Pablo
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706
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