Mechanically resilient hybrid aerogels containing fibers of dual-scale sizes and knotty networks for tissue regeneration.
Nat Commun
; 15(1): 1080, 2024 Feb 05.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38316777
ABSTRACT
The structure and design flexibility of aerogels make them promising for soft tissue engineering, though they tend to come with brittleness and low elasticity. While increasing crosslinking density may improve mechanics, it also imparts brittleness. In soft tissue engineering, resilience against mechanical loads from mobile tissues is paramount. We report a hybrid aerogel that consists of self-reinforcing networks of micro- and nanofibers. Nanofiber segments physically entangle microfiber pillars, allowing efficient stress distribution through the intertwined fiber networks. We show that optimized hybrid aerogels have high specific tensile moduli (~1961.3 MPa cm3 g-1) and fracture energies (~7448.8 J m-2), while exhibiting super-elastic properties with rapid shape recovery (~1.8 s). We demonstrate that these aerogels induce rapid tissue ingrowth, extracellular matrix deposition, and neovascularization after subcutaneous implants in rats. Furthermore, we can apply them for engineering soft tissues via minimally invasive procedures, and hybrid aerogels can extend their versatility to become magnetically responsive or electrically conductive, enabling pressure sensing and actuation.
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Resiliência Psicológica
/
Nanofibras
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article