Super-strong hydrogel composites reinforced with PBO nanofibers for cartilage replacement

01/02/2023

Cartilage replacement materials exhibiting a set of demanding properties such as high water content, high mechanical stiffness, low friction, and excellent biocompatibility are quite difficult to achieve. Here, poly(p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole) (PBO) nanofibers are combined with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to form a super-strong structure with a performance that surpasses the vast majority of previously existing hydrogels. PVA–PBO composites with water contents in the 59–76% range exhibit tensile and compressive moduli reaching 20.3 and 4.5 MPa, respectively, and a coefficient of friction below 0.08. Further, they are biocompatible and support the viability of chondrocytes for 1 week, with significant improvements in cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation compared to PVA. The new composites can be safely sterilized by steam heat or gamma radiation without compromising their integrity and overall performance. In addition, they show potential to be used as local delivery platforms for anti-inflammatory drugs. These attractive features make PVA–PBO composites highly competitive engineered materials with remarkable potential for use in the design of load-bearing tissues. Complementary work has also revealed that these composites will be interesting alternatives in other industrial fields where high thermal and mechanical resistance are essential requirements, or which can take advantage of the pH responsiveness functionality.

Autores da comunidade :

• 

  A

  Andreia Sofia Gonçalves de Oliveira

  ist179397

• 

  J

  João Carlos Fernandes da Silva

  ist165105

  Afiliações e fontes

  IST > iBB

  Instituto de Bioengenharia e Biociências

  De: cienciavitae

  ID: 3053982

• 

  M

  Mónica de Jesus Veiga Loureiro

  ist427326

• 

  A

  Ana Clara Lopes Marques

  ist45873

• 

  R

  Rogério Anacleto Cordeiro Colaço

  ist13267

  Afiliações e fontes

  IST > DEM

  Departamento de Engenharia Mecânica

  IST > IDMEC

  Instituto de Engenharia Mecânica

  De: scopus

  ID: 2-s2.0-85144238496

• 

  A

  Ana Paula Valagão Amadeu do Serro

  ist134419

  Afiliações e fontes

  IST > CQE

  Centro de Química Estrutural

  IST > DEQ

  Departamento de Engenharia Química

VoR - Versão publicada

Wiley

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/mabi.202200240

Macromolecular Bioscience

1

18

23

2

1616-5195

10.1002/mabi.202200240

materials-engineering - Engenharia dos Materiais

eng - Inglês

http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mabi.202200240

CC-BY - CC-BY