The skin is a marvel. It is flexible and firm, regulates body temperature, protects internal organs, and is also a marvel. It can also heal itself after certain injuries. The skin’s self healing properties have inspired new hydrogel research. Researchers from Aalto University, University of Bayreuth and University of Bayreuth developed a new self-healing hydrogel that is similar to skin. These findings were published in Nature Materials (and ) may lead to further developments of soft robotics, artificial skin, wound healing, and drug delivery.
Making the Hydrogel
The use of Hydrogels in a Variety of applicationsThey are used to promote faster healing of wounds and prevent infection. They are also used to disperse drugs within the body, and to heal .
Tissues and bonesThey are great for biomedical applications because of their flexibility and water retention.
The study states that before this discovery researchers had only been able to create gels that replicated either the stiffness and flexible of skin, or the skin’s ability to self-heal, but not both. Researchers have discovered a material which can mimic skin’s self-healing and flexibility by adding “large, ultra-thin clay nanosheets”.
“Stiff and strong hydrogels that heal themselves have been a long-standing challenge,” said Hang Zhang from Aalto University. In a press release“We have found a way to strengthen hydrogels that are normally soft. This could revolutionise development of new materials that have bio-inspired properties.
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Entanglement and UV
The study found that, in addition to the nanosheets’ arrangement, the polymers intertwined between them also helped create the gel. Chen Liang, a postdoctoral researcher, mixed water containing nanosheets and monomers powder after they had been arranged. Liang then baked his mixture under a UV lamp, similar to the ones used to set gel nail polish for a manicure or a pedicure. Liang stated in a press statement.
After four hours, after cutting the gel with a knife, the research team found that it had self-healed to an 80 to 90% degree. After 24 hours, they found that the gel had been repaired 100 percent.
“Entanglement means that the thin polymer layers start to twist around each other like tiny wool yarns, but in a random order,” said Zhang in a press release. “The polymers are virtually indistinguishable when they are fully entangled. They are dynamic and mobile on a molecular scale, and when they are cut, they begin to intertwine once again.
Hydrogel for the Future
Researchers hope that this material can be applied to biomedical technologies, or used in soft robotics. This material can be used to make artificial skin or surgical robots.
“This work is an exciting example of how biological materials inspire us to look for new combinations of properties for synthetic materials. Imagine robots with robust, self-healing skins or synthetic tissues that autonomously repair,” said Olli Ikkala, a study author from Aalto University, in a press release. ‘‘It’s the kind of fundamental discovery that could renew the rules of material design.’’
There may still be a long way to go before this new hydrogel is applied to other technology, but it’s an incredible step towards significant scientific advancements.
Read More: Advanced Robotic Surgeries are Minimally Invasive, Helping Patients Heal Faster
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Nature Materials
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is the source for this article. Stiff and Self-Healing Hydrogels by Polymer Entanglements in Co-Planar Nanoconfinement
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pubmed. (19459040) Advancements in the use of hydrogels for regenerative medicine: properties and biomedical applications
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BioPharma. Top 10 Applications of Biomedical Hydrogels
Monica Cull, a graduate of UW Whitewater, wrote for several publications, including a magazine that focused on bees, the natural world and other topics, before joining Discover Magazine. Her current work is also published on her travel blog, Common State Magazine and other publications. Her love of science was inspired by watching PBS programs with her mother as a child and binge-watching Doctor Who.
