title: Highly Elastic and Self-Healing Composite Colloidal Gels.
abstract: Composite colloidal gels are formed by the pH-induced electrostatic assembly of silica and gelatin nanoparticles. These injectable and moldable colloidal gels are able to withstand substantial compressive and tensile loads, and exhibit a remarkable self-healing efficiency. This study provides new, critical insight into the structural and mechanical properties of composite colloidal gels and opens up new avenues for practical application of colloidal gels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomaterials, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 EX, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.|John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
authors.forename: Mani
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diba
authors.affiliation: John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.|School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning, 116023, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Huanan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Kodger
authors.affiliation: John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
authors.forename: Shima
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Parsa
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomaterials, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 EX, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Sander C G
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Leeuwenburgh
keywords: colloidal gels; composites; nanoparticles; self-assembly; self-healing