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Created hydrogel, able to replace joints and cartilage
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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A group of scientists from Harvard University managed to create a strong and superflexible hydrogel, which can become a replacement for a damaged joint or cartilage.
Its creators are specialists in the field of mechanics, materials science and tissue engineering.
The first hydrogels appeared in 2003. This is a special kind of jelly-like and hard materials. They have been widely used in horticulture, medicine and other fields. However, the possibilities of the first hydrogels were rather limited - at a small load they came into disrepair. All attempts to develop an optimal formula that would provide elasticity and strength, ended unsuccessfully.
The substance is called hydrogel because of its main component - water. It consists of two polymeric meshes that interact, giving a very lasting effect. The hydrogel can be self-renewing, very rigid and biocompatible, the latter property makes it suitable for medical use.
"Conventional hydrogels are very sensitive to mechanical effects - imagine a jelly that can be easily immersed in a spoon," explains the study's lead author, Chung Yun-san, a researcher at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS). - But since they are biocompatible and created on a water basis, they are used in medicine for the cultivation of living tissues and as a nutrient medium. In order to use hydrogels in new fields of science and industry, it was necessary to eliminate the drawback that made the material unusable because of its low strength. To do this, we replaced one of the polymeric networks of a double hydrogel with a grid of alginate (extracted from brown algae cells), which is a long chain of hydrocarbons. At the output, we got a hydrogel, which remained strong and at the same time flexible. "
The strips created by scientists hydrogel withstand a mechanical load of 10 times greater than withstand previously created materials, they are able to stretch 20 times better than their counterparts, and also, thanks to an improved formula, their ability to withstand mechanical damage - scratches and cuts has increased.
According to experts, the improved properties of hydrogels will allow them to expand their field of application, in particular, these materials can be a good alternative to damaged cartilage and joints, and also used in the creation of artificial muscles or serve as a coating for wounds.
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