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Karatrantos AV, Couture O, Hesse C, Schmidt DF. Molecular Simulation of Covalent Adaptable Networks and Vitrimers: A Review. Polymers (Basel) 2024; 16:1373. [PMID: 38794566 PMCID: PMC11125108 DOI: 10.3390/polym16101373] [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: 04/02/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Covalent adaptable networks and vitrimers are novel polymers with dynamic reversible bond exchange reactions for crosslinks, enabling them to modulate their properties between those of thermoplastics and thermosets. They have been gathering interest as materials for their recycling and self-healing properties. In this review, we discuss different molecular simulation efforts that have been used over the last decade to investigate and understand the nanoscale and molecular behaviors of covalent adaptable networks and vitrimers. In particular, molecular dynamics, Monte Carlo, and a hybrid of molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo approaches have been used to model the dynamic bond exchange reaction, which is the main mechanism of interest since it controls both the mechanical and rheological behaviors. The molecular simulation techniques presented yield sufficient results to investigate the structure and dynamics as well as the mechanical and rheological responses of such dynamic networks. The benefits of each method have been highlighted. The use of other tools such as theoretical models and machine learning has been included. We noticed, amongst the most prominent results, that stress relaxes as the bond exchange reaction happens, and that at temperatures higher than the glass transition temperature, the self-healing properties are better since more bond BERs are observed. The lifetime of dynamic covalent crosslinks follows, at moderate to high temperatures, an Arrhenius-like temperature dependence. We note the modeling of certain properties like the melt viscosity with glass transition temperature and the topology freezing transition temperature according to a behavior ruled by either the Williams-Landel-Ferry equation or the Arrhenius equation. Discrepancies between the behavior in dissociative and associative covalent adaptable networks are discussed. We conclude by stating which material parameters and atomistic factors, at the nanoscale, have not yet been taken into account and are lacking in the current literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Argyrios V. Karatrantos
- Materials Research and Technology, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 5, Avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux, L-4362 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; (O.C.); (C.H.); (D.F.S.)
| | - Olivier Couture
- Materials Research and Technology, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 5, Avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux, L-4362 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; (O.C.); (C.H.); (D.F.S.)
- University of Luxembourg, 2, Avenue de l’Université, L-4365 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Channya Hesse
- Materials Research and Technology, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 5, Avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux, L-4362 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; (O.C.); (C.H.); (D.F.S.)
- University of Luxembourg, 2, Avenue de l’Université, L-4365 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Daniel F. Schmidt
- Materials Research and Technology, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 5, Avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux, L-4362 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; (O.C.); (C.H.); (D.F.S.)
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2
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Sharma H, Krishnakumar B, Dickens TJ, Yun GJ, Kumar A, Rana S. A bibliometric survey of research trends in vitrimer. Heliyon 2023; 9:e17350. [PMID: 37441386 PMCID: PMC10333614 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The recent trends of vitrimer studies enhance the thermoset material with superior properties, therefore, it is particularly important to address the critical scientific inquiries in this area using their research metrics. The reported vitrimer systems have been highly required for future real-time applications; however, the inquisitiveness of material exchange mechanisms extends the research studies further. Significantly, more scientific information's are required to achieve the evident prospective outcomes via these materials. This article highlights the trends and developments of the most relevant publications, authors, articles, countries, and keywords in the vitrimer research field over the past 10 years. The represented bibliometric survey would elevate the basic understanding of the current vitrimer research stats and also help follow the particular research community to learn and develop insight. To generate bibliometric networks, bibliometric data has obtained from Scopus and visualised in VOS-viewer; as an overview of that, the highest number of publications were from China, United States, France, United Kingdom, and Spain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harsh Sharma
- University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), School of Engineering, Energy Acres, Bidholi, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248007, India
| | - Balaji Krishnakumar
- Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering, High-Performance Materials Institute, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Tallahassee, FL, 32310, USA
| | - Tarik J. Dickens
- Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering, High-Performance Materials Institute, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Tallahassee, FL, 32310, USA
| | - Gun Jin Yun
- Department of Aerospace Engineering, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu Gwanak-ro 1, Seoul, 151-744, South Korea
| | - Ajay Kumar
- University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), School of Engineering, Energy Acres, Bidholi, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248007, India
| | - Sravendra Rana
- University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), School of Engineering, Energy Acres, Bidholi, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248007, India
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3
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Xue B, Bashir Z, Guo Y, Yu W, Sun W, Li Y, Zhang Y, Qin M, Wang W, Cao Y. Strong, tough, rapid-recovery, and fatigue-resistant hydrogels made of picot peptide fibres. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2583. [PMID: 37142590 PMCID: PMC10160100 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38280-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hydrogels are promising soft materials as tissue engineering scaffolds, stretchable sensors, and soft robotics. Yet, it remains challenging to develop synthetic hydrogels with mechanical stability and durability similar to those of the connective tissues. Many of the necessary mechanical properties, such as high strength, high toughness, rapid recovery, and high fatigue resistance, generally cannot be established together using conventional polymer networks. Here we present a type of hydrogels comprising hierarchical structures of picot fibres made of copper-bound self-assembling peptide strands with zipped flexible hidden length. The redundant hidden lengths allow the fibres to be extended to dissipate mechanical load without reducing network connectivity, making the hydrogels robust against damage. The hydrogels possess high strength, good toughness, high fatigue threshold, and rapid recovery, comparable to or even outperforming those of articular cartilage. Our study highlights the unique possibility of tailoring hydrogel network structures at the molecular level to improve their mechanical performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Xue
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China
- Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan, China
| | - Zoobia Bashir
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China
| | - Yachong Guo
- Kuang Yaming Honors School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Wenting Yu
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China
| | - Wenxu Sun
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China
| | - Yiran Li
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China
| | - Yiyang Zhang
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China
| | - Meng Qin
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China.
- Institute for Brain Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China.
| | - Yi Cao
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China.
- Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan, China.
- Institute for Brain Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China.
- Chemistry and Biomedicine innovation center, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China.
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4
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de Heer Kloots MHP, Schoustra SK, Dijksman JA, Smulders MMJ. Phase separation in supramolecular and covalent adaptable networks. SOFT MATTER 2023; 19:2857-2877. [PMID: 37060135 PMCID: PMC10131172 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm00047h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Phase separation phenomena have been studied widely in the field of polymer science, and were recently also reported for dynamic polymer networks (DPNs). The mechanisms of phase separation in dynamic polymer networks are of particular interest as the reversible nature of the network can participate in the structuring of the micro- and macroscale domains. In this review, we highlight the underlying mechanisms of phase separation in dynamic polymer networks, distinguishing between supramolecular polymer networks and covalent adaptable networks (CANs). Also, we address the synergistic effects between phase separation and reversible bond exchange. We furthermore discuss the effects of phase separation on the material properties, and how this knowledge can be used to enhance and tune material properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martijn H P de Heer Kloots
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE Wageningen, The Netherlands.
- Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Sybren K Schoustra
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Joshua A Dijksman
- Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Van der Waals-Zeeman Institute, Institute of Physics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Maarten M J Smulders
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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5
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Peng L, Matellan C, Bosch-Fortea M, Gonzalez-Molina J, Frigerio M, Salentinig S, Del Rio Hernandez A, Gautrot JE. Mesenchymal Stem Cells Sense the Toughness of Nanomaterials and Interfaces. Adv Healthc Mater 2023; 12:e2203297. [PMID: 36717365 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202203297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Stem cells are known to sense and respond to the mechanical properties of biomaterials. In turn, cells exert forces on their environment that can lead to striking changes in shape, size and contraction of associated tissues, and may result in mechanical disruption and functional failure. However, no study has so far correlated stem cell phenotype and biomaterials toughness. Indeed, disentangling toughness-mediated cell response from other mechanosensing processes has remained elusive as it is particularly challenging to uncouple Youngs' or shear moduli from toughness, within a range relevant to cell-generated forces. In this report, it is shown how the design of the macromolecular architecture of polymer nanosheets regulates interfacial toughness, independently of interfacial shear storage modulus, and how this controls the expansion of mesenchymal stem cells at liquid interfaces. The viscoelasticity and toughness of poly(l-lysine) nanosheets assembled at liquid-liquid interfaces is characterised via interfacial shear rheology. The local (microscale) mechanics of nanosheets are characterised via magnetic tweezer-assisted interfacial microrheology and the thickness of these assemblies is determined from in situ ellipsometry. Finally, the response of mesenchymal stem cells to adhesion and culture at corresponding interfaces is investigated via immunostaining and confocal microscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lihui Peng
- Institute of Bioengineering, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, E1 4NS, London, UK.,Cellular and Molecular Biomechanical Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Carlos Matellan
- School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary, University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - Minerva Bosch-Fortea
- Institute of Bioengineering, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, E1 4NS, London, UK.,Cellular and Molecular Biomechanical Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Jordi Gonzalez-Molina
- Institute of Bioengineering, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, E1 4NS, London, UK.,Cellular and Molecular Biomechanical Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Matteo Frigerio
- Department of Chemistry, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 9, Fribourg, 1700, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Salentinig
- Department of Chemistry, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 9, Fribourg, 1700, Switzerland
| | - Armando Del Rio Hernandez
- School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary, University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - Julien E Gautrot
- Institute of Bioengineering, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, E1 4NS, London, UK.,Cellular and Molecular Biomechanical Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
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6
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Behrouz T, Behrooz S, Sarkhosh H, Nourany M. A novel multi‐functional model thermoset and
PDA
‐coated
PU
nanocomposite based on graphene and an amphiphilic block copolymer. POLYM ADVAN TECHNOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/pat.5703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Toktam Behrouz
- Polymer Engineering and Color Technology Amirkabir University of Technology Tehran Iran
| | - Shabnam Behrooz
- Polymer Engineering and Color Technology Amirkabir University of Technology Tehran Iran
| | - Hadi Sarkhosh
- Biomedical Engineering Amirkabir University of Technology Tehran Iran
| | - Mohammad Nourany
- Polymer Engineering and Color Technology Amirkabir University of Technology Tehran Iran
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7
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Raffaelli C, Ellenbroek WG. Stress relaxation in tunable gels. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:10254-10262. [PMID: 34821243 PMCID: PMC8612457 DOI: 10.1039/d1sm00091h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Hydrogels are a staple of biomaterials development. Optimizing their use in e.g. drug delivery or tissue engineering requires a solid understanding of how to adjust their mechanical properties. Here, we present a numerical study of a class of hydrogels made of 4-arm star polymers with a combination of covalent and reversible crosslinks. This design principle combines the flexibility and responsivity associated with reversible linkers with stability provided by chemical crosslinks. In molecular dynamics simulations of such hybrid gel networks, we observe that the strength of the reversible bonds can tune the material from solid to fluid. We identify at what fraction of reversible bonds this tunability is most pronounced, and find that the stress relaxation time of the gels in this tunable regime is set directly by the average lifetime of the reversible bonds. As our design is easy to realize in the already widely-used tetraPEG gel setting, our work will provide guidelines to improve the mechanical performance of biomedical gels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Raffaelli
- Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, P. O. Box 513, NL-5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
| | - Wouter G Ellenbroek
- Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, P. O. Box 513, NL-5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, P. O. Box 513, NL-5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
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8
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Chinnaiah K, Theivashanthi T, Kannan K, Revathy MS, Maik V, Parangusan H, Jeyaseelan SC, Gurushankar K. Electrical and Electrochemical Characteristics of Withania somnifera Leaf Extract Incorporation Sodium Alginate Polymer Film for Energy Storage Applications. J Inorg Organomet Polym Mater 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10904-021-02139-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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9
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Lima AL, Gratieri T, Cunha-Filho M, Gelfuso GM. Polymeric nanocapsules: A review on design and production methods for pharmaceutical purpose. METHODS (SAN DIEGO, CALIF.) 2021; 199:54-66. [PMID: 34333117 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2021.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Polymeric nanocapsules have extensive application potential in medical, biological, and pharmaceutical fields, and, therefore, much research has been dedicated to their production. Indeed, production protocols and the materials used are decisive for obtaining the desired nanocapsules characteristics and biological performance. In addition to that, several technological strategies have been developed in the last decade to improve processing techniques and form more valuable nanocapsules. This review provides a guide to current methods for developing polymeric nanocapsules, reporting aspects to be considered when choosing appropriate materials, and discussing different ways to produce nanocapsules for superior performances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Luiza Lima
- Laboratory of Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics (LTMAC), University of Brasilia, 70910-900, Brasilia, DF, Brazil
| | - Tais Gratieri
- Laboratory of Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics (LTMAC), University of Brasilia, 70910-900, Brasilia, DF, Brazil
| | - Marcilio Cunha-Filho
- Laboratory of Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics (LTMAC), University of Brasilia, 70910-900, Brasilia, DF, Brazil
| | - Guilherme M Gelfuso
- Laboratory of Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics (LTMAC), University of Brasilia, 70910-900, Brasilia, DF, Brazil.
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10
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Takase N, Koyanagi J, Mori K, Sakai T. Molecular Dynamics Simulation for Evaluating Fracture Entropy of a Polymer Material under Various Combined Stress States. MATERIALS 2021; 14:ma14081884. [PMID: 33920091 PMCID: PMC8070208 DOI: 10.3390/ma14081884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Herein, the stress-state dependence of fracture entropy for a polyamide 6 material is investigated through molecular dynamics simulations. Although previous research suggests that a constant entropy increase can be universally applied for the definition of material fracture, the dependence of stress triaxiality has not yet been discussed. In this study, entropy values are evaluated by molecular dynamics simulations with varied combined stress states. The calculation is implemented using the 570,000 all-atom model. Similar entropy values are obtained independently of stress triaxiality. This study also reveals the relationship between material damage, which is correlated with void size, and the entropy value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naohiro Takase
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, Graduate School of Tokyo University of Science, 6-3-1 Niijuku, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo 125-8585, Japan;
| | - Jun Koyanagi
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, University of Science, 6-3-1 Niijuku, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo 125-8585, Japan
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +81-35-876-1411
| | - Kazuki Mori
- Itochu Techno-Solutions Corporation, Art Village Osaki Central Tower, 1-2-2, Osaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141-8522, Japan;
| | - Takenobu Sakai
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Saitama University, Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama 338-8570, Japan;
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11
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Xing W, Ghahfarokhi AJ, Xie C, Naghibi S, Campbell JA, Tang Y. Mechanical Properties of a Supramolecular Nanocomposite Hydrogel Containing Hydroxyl Groups Enriched Hyper-Branched Polymers. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:805. [PMID: 33800715 PMCID: PMC7961438 DOI: 10.3390/polym13050805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Owing to highly tunable topology and functional groups, hyper-branched polymers are a potential candidate for toughening agents, for achieving supramolecular interactions with hydrogel networks. However, their toughening effects and mechanisms are not well understood. Here, by means of tensile and pure shear testings, we characterise the mechanics of a nanoparticle-hydrogel hybrid system that incorporates a hyper-branched polymer (HBP) with abundant hydroxyl end groups into the matrix of the polyacrylic acid (PAA) hydrogel. We found that the third and fourth generations of HBP are more effective than the second one in terms of strengthening and toughening effects. At a HBP content of 14 wt%, compared to that of the pure PAA hydrogel, strengths of the hybrid hydrogels with the third and fourth HBPs are 2.3 and 2.5 times; toughnesses are increased by 525% and 820%. However, for the second generation, strength is little improved, and toughness is increased by 225%. It was found that the stiffness of the hybrid hydrogel is almost unchanged relative to that of the PAA hydrogel, evidencing the weak characteristic of hydrogen bonds in this system. In addition, an outstanding self-healing feature was observed, confirming the fast reforming nature of broken hydrogen bonds. For the hybrid hydrogel, the critical size of failure zone around the crack tip, where serious viscous dissipation occurs, is related to a fractocohesive length, being about 0.62 mm, one order of magnitude less than that of other tough double-network hydrogels. This study can promote the application of hyper-branched polymers in the rapid evolving field of hydrogels for improved performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjin Xing
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Clovelly Park, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia; (W.X.); (A.J.G.); (S.N.)
| | - Amin Jamshidi Ghahfarokhi
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Clovelly Park, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia; (W.X.); (A.J.G.); (S.N.)
- Institute for NanoScale Science and Technology, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia;
| | - Chaoming Xie
- Key Lab of Advanced Technologies of Materials, Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China;
| | - Sanaz Naghibi
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Clovelly Park, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia; (W.X.); (A.J.G.); (S.N.)
- Institute for NanoScale Science and Technology, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia;
| | - Jonathan A. Campbell
- Institute for NanoScale Science and Technology, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia;
| | - Youhong Tang
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Clovelly Park, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia; (W.X.); (A.J.G.); (S.N.)
- Institute for NanoScale Science and Technology, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia;
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12
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Lei QL, Xia X, Yang J, Pica Ciamarra M, Ni R. Entropy-controlled cross-linking in linker-mediated vitrimers. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:27111-27115. [PMID: 33087578 PMCID: PMC7959506 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2015672117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently developed linker-mediated vitrimers based on metathesis of dioxaborolanes with various commercially available polymers have shown both good processability and outstanding performance, such as mechanical, thermal, and chemical resistance, suggesting new ways of processing cross-linked polymers in industry, of which the design principle remains unknown [M. Röttger et al., Science 356, 62-65 (2017)]. Here we formulate a theoretical framework to elucidate the phase behavior of the linker-mediated vitrimers, in which entropy plays a governing role. We find that, with increasing the linker concentration, vitrimers undergo a reentrant gel-sol transition, which explains a recent experiment [S. Wu, H. Yang, S. Huang, Q. Chen, Macromolecules 53, 1180-1190 (2020)]. More intriguingly, at the low temperature limit, the linker concentration still determines the cross-linking degree of the vitrimers, which originates from the competition between the conformational entropy of polymers and the translational entropy of linkers. Our theoretical predictions agree quantitatively with computer simulations, and offer guidelines in understanding and controlling the properties of this newly developed vitrimer system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qun-Li Lei
- School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 637459 Singapore
| | - Xiuyang Xia
- School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 637459 Singapore
- Division of Physics and Applied Physics, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 637371 Singapore
| | - Juan Yang
- Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 117546 Singapore
| | - Massimo Pica Ciamarra
- Division of Physics and Applied Physics, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 637371 Singapore
| | - Ran Ni
- School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 637459 Singapore;
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13
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Sun W, Xue B, Fan Q, Tao R, Wang C, Wang X, Li Y, Qin M, Wang W, Chen B, Cao Y. Molecular engineering of metal coordination interactions for strong, tough, and fast-recovery hydrogels. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaaz9531. [PMID: 32494623 PMCID: PMC7164941 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaz9531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Many load-bearing tissues, such as muscles and cartilages, show high elasticity, toughness, and fast recovery. However, combining these mechanical properties in the same synthetic biomaterials is fundamentally challenging. Here, we show that strong, tough, and fast-recovery hydrogels can be engineered using cross-linkers involving cooperative dynamic interactions. We designed a histidine-rich decapeptide containing two tandem zinc binding motifs. Because of allosteric structural change-induced cooperative binding, this decapeptide had a higher thermodynamic stability, stronger binding strength, and faster binding rate than single binding motifs or isolated ligands. The engineered hybrid network hydrogels containing the peptide-zinc complex exhibit a break stress of ~3.0 MPa, toughness of ~4.0 MJ m-3, and fast recovery in seconds. We expect that they can function effectively as scaffolds for load-bearing tissue engineering and as building blocks for soft robotics. Our results provide a general route to tune the mechanical and dynamic properties of hydrogels at the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenxu Sun
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, and Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, P.R. China
| | - Bin Xue
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, and Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, P.R. China
| | - Qiyang Fan
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
- Key Laboratory of Soft Machines and Smart Devices of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Runhan Tao
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, and Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, P.R. China
| | - Chunxi Wang
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, and Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, P.R. China
| | - Xin Wang
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, and Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, P.R. China
| | - Yiran Li
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, and Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, P.R. China
| | - Meng Qin
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, and Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, P.R. China
| | - Wei Wang
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, and Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, P.R. China
- Corresponding author. (W.W.); (B.C.); (Y.C.)
| | - Bin Chen
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
- Key Laboratory of Soft Machines and Smart Devices of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310027, China
- Corresponding author. (W.W.); (B.C.); (Y.C.)
| | - Yi Cao
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, and Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, P.R. China
- Corresponding author. (W.W.); (B.C.); (Y.C.)
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14
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Lopez-Menendez H. A mesoscopic theory to describe the flexibility regulation in F-actin networks: An approach of phase transitions with nonlinear elasticity. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2019; 101:103432. [PMID: 31542571 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2019.103432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2019] [Revised: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The synthetic actin network arouses great interest as bio-material due to its soft and wet nature that mimics many biological scaffolding structures. Inside the cell, the actin network is regulated by tens of actin-binding proteins (ABP's), which make for a highly complex system with several emergent behaviors. In particular, calponin is an ABP that was identified as an actin stabiliser, but whose mechanism is still poorly understood. Recent experiments using an in vitro model system of cross-linked actin with calponin and large deformation bulk rheology, found that networks with exhibited a delayed onset and were able to withstand a higher maximal strain before softening. In this work, we show that at network scale the actin network with calponin furthermore the reduction of the persistence length allows: (i) The reduction in the network pre-strain. (ii) The increment of the crosslinks adhesion energy. We verify these effects theoretically using nonlinear continuum mechanics for the semiflexible and crosslinked network. In addition, the alterations over the microstructure are described by the definition of an interaction parameter Γ according the formalism of Landau for phase transitions. According to this model we demonstrates that the interaction parameter can describe the experimental observations following a scaling exponent as Γ~|c-ccr|1/2, where c is the ratio between concentration of calponin and actin. This result provides interesting feedback to improve our understanding of several mechano-biological pathways.
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15
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Zeng L, Song M, Gu J, Xu Z, Xue B, Li Y, Cao Y. A Highly Stretchable, Tough, Fast Self-Healing Hydrogel Based on Peptide⁻Metal Ion Coordination. Biomimetics (Basel) 2019; 4:E36. [PMID: 31105221 PMCID: PMC6632049 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics4020036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Revised: 03/31/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Metal coordination bonds are widely used as the dynamic cross-linkers to construct self-healing hydrogels. However, it remains challenging to independently improve the toughness of metal coordinated hydrogels without affecting the stretchability and self-healing properties, as all these features are directly correlated with the dynamic properties of the same metal coordination bonds. In this work, using histidine-Zn2+ binding as an example, we show that the coordination number (the number of binding sites in each cross-linking ligand) is an important parameter for the mechanical strength of the hydrogels. By increasing the coordination number of the binding site, the mechanical strength of the hydrogels can be greatly improved without sacrificing the stretchability and self-healing properties. By adjusting the peptide and Zn2+ concentrations, the hydrogels can achieve a set of demanding mechanical features, including the Young's modulus of 7-123 kPa, fracture strain of 434-781%, toughness of 630-1350 kJ m-3, and self-healing time of ~1 h. We anticipate the engineered hydrogels can find broad applications in a variety of biomedical fields. Moreover, the concept of improving the mechanical strength of metal coordinated hydrogels by tuning the coordination number may inspire the design of other dynamically cross-linked hydrogels with further improved mechanical performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Zeng
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China.
| | - Mingming Song
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation, Ministry of Education, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China.
| | - Jie Gu
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation, Ministry of Education, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China.
| | - Zhengyu Xu
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation, Ministry of Education, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China.
| | - Bin Xue
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation, Ministry of Education, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China.
| | - Ying Li
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China.
| | - Yi Cao
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation, Ministry of Education, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China.
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16
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Mulla Y, Wierenga H, Alkemade C, Ten Wolde PR, Koenderink GH. Frustrated binding of biopolymer crosslinkers. SOFT MATTER 2019; 15:3036-3042. [PMID: 30900710 DOI: 10.1039/c8sm02429d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Transiently crosslinked actin filament networks allow cells to combine elastic rigidity with the ability to deform viscoelastically. Theoretical models of semiflexible polymer networks predict that the crosslinker unbinding rate governs the timescale beyond which viscoelastic flow occurs. However a direct comparison between network and crosslinker dynamics is lacking. Here we measure the network's stress relaxation timescale using rheology and the lifetime of bound crosslinkers using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP). Intriguingly, we observe that the crosslinker unbinding rate measured by FRAP is more than an order of magnitude slower than the rate measured by rheology. We rationalize this difference with a three-state model where crosslinkers are bound to either 0, 1 or 2 filaments, which allows us to extract crosslinker transition rates that are otherwise difficult to access. We find that the unbinding rate of singly bound crosslinkers is nearly two orders of magnitude slower than for doubly bound ones. We attribute the increased unbinding rate of doubly bound crosslinkers to the high stiffness of biopolymers, which frustrates crosslinker binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuval Mulla
- Living Matter Department, AMOLF, Science Park 104, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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