Tough, durable and strongly bonded self-healing cartilage-mimicking noncovalently assembled hydrogel nanostructures: the interplay between experiment and theory
Shikha Awasthi, Sarvesh Kumar Pandey, Hulikere Jagdish Shwetha, Nehal, S. Selvaraj
Abstract
) was obtained for trimer hydrogels. Moreover, the supramolecular cross-linked assembly of PAM-Ag-BN perfectly exhibited bioactivities, including bone formation ability, self-healing performance, restricted cytotoxicity, and anti-microbial activity. The synergistic effect of nano- and micron-sized particles in PAM-Ag-BN ensued in strong interfacial interlocking through the formation of hydrogen bonding between Ag, BNOH and PAM. Therefore, the fabricated tough hydrogel composite can be a leading biomaterial for soft tissue (articular cartilage) regeneration. The present research opens new directions for developing smart self-healing nanocomposites, which are extensively used in cartilage tissue engineering.