title: Preparation and enhanced mechanical properties of hybrid hydrogels comprising ultralong hydroxyapatite nanowires and sodium alginate.
abstract: Hydrogels with 3-dimentional cross-linked structures are widely used in various biomedical fields such as bone repair scaffolds, drug carriers and biosensors. However, the applications of hydrogels are usually restricted because of their poor mechanical properties. Currently, nanocomposites, double network systems, hydrophobic association, macromolecules, and nanoparticles are commonly adopted as cross-linking agents to enhance mechanical properties of hydrogels. In this work, ultralong hydroxyapatite nanowires (HANWs) with lengths of several hundred microns are prepared and used to enhance the mechanical properties of sodium alginate (SA)-based hydrogels. Using divalent calcium ions as the cross-linking agent, the hybrid HANWs/SA hydrogels containing various percentages of HANWs are obtained. The as-prepared HANWs/SA hybrid hydrogels have a porous structure with pore sizes ranging from about 200 to 500μm. The mechanical properties of SA hydrogels can be significantly improved by incorporating HANWs. The maximum compressive modulus (E50%) and tensile Young's modulus of the hybrid hydrogel (HANWs/SA=2:1) are as high as 0.123MPa and 0.994MPa, which are about 162% and 614% those of the pure SA hydrogel, respectively. Due to the enhanced mechanical properties and high biocompatibility, the as-prepared HANWs/SA hybrid hydrogels have promising applications in various biomedical fields such as bone defect repair.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China.
authors.forename: Ying-Ying
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China. Electronic address: y.j.zhu@mail.sic.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Ying-Jie
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China.
authors.forename: Heng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China.
authors.forename: Yong-Gang
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China.
authors.forename: Yue-Qin
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China.
authors.forename: Tuan-Wei
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China. Electronic address: fchen@mail.sic.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000464:Alginates / Q000737:chemistry*; D017886:Durapatite / Q000737:chemistry*; D020723:Glucuronic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D006603:Hexuronic Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D053770:Nanowires / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000464:Alginates; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D020100:Hydrogels; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D017886:Durapatite
keywords: Hydrogel; Hydroxyapatite; Mechanical property; Nanowires; Sodium alginate