title: Bundle Formation in Biomimetic Hydrogels.
abstract: Bundling of single polymer chains is a crucial process in the formation of biopolymer network gels that make up the extracellular matrix and the cytoskeleton. This bundled architecture leads to gels with distinctive properties, including a large-pore-size gel formation at very low concentrations and mechanical responsiveness through nonlinear mechanics, properties that are rarely observed in synthetic hydrogels. Using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), we study the bundle formation and hydrogelation process of polyisocyanide gels, a synthetic material that uniquely mimics the structure and mechanics of biogels. We show how the structure of the material changes at the (thermally induced) gelation point and how factors such as concentration and polymer length determine the architecture, and with that, the mechanical properties. The correlation of the gel mechanics and the structural parameters obtained from SAXS experiments is essential in the design of future (synthetic) mimics of biopolymer networks.
authors.affiliation: Radboud University , Institute for Molecules and Materials, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Maarten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jaspers
authors.affiliation: Eindhoven University of Technology , Laboratory for Macromolecular and Organic Chemistry, and Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A C H
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Pape
authors.affiliation: Eindhoven University of Technology , Laboratory for Macromolecular and Organic Chemistry, and Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ilja K
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Voets
authors.affiliation: Radboud University , Institute for Molecules and Materials, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands.|The University of Queensland , Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Alan E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Rowan
authors.affiliation: Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) , DUBBLE CRG at the ESRF, 6 rue Jules Horowitz, 38043 Grenoble Cedex, France.|University of Groningen , Department of Macromolecular Chemistry and New Polymeric Materials, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Portale
authors.affiliation: Radboud University , Institute for Molecules and Materials, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Paul H J
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Kouwer
mesh_terms: D032701:Biomimetics; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000737:chemistry*; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012212:Rheology; D053838:Scattering, Small Angle; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D020100:Hydrogels; D011108:Polymers