title: Orientation in multi-layer chitosan hydrogel: morphology, mechanism, and design principle.
abstract: Hydrogels with organized structure have attracted remarkable attentions for bio-related applications. Among the preparation of hierarchical hydrogel materials, fabrication of hydrogel with multi-layers is an important branch. Although the generation mechanism of layers had been fully discussed, sub-layer structure was not sufficiently studied. In this research, multi-layered chitosan hydrogel with oriented structure was constructed, and the formation mechanism of orientation was proposed, based on gelation behavior and entanglement of polymer chains in the hydrogel-solution system. Employing the layered-oriented characteristic, chitosan hydrogel materials with various shapes and structure can be designed and fabricated.
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Jingyi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nie
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Wentao
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Jianjun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Zhengke
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orthopedic Implants, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: An
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Qiaoling
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Hu