"Nanostructured Injectable Hydrogels with Tunable ""Smart"" Properties"

“具有可调节“智能”特性的纳米结构可注射水凝胶”

• 批准号: 356609-2012
• 负责人: Hoare, Todd
• 金额: $ 2.48万
• 依托单位: McMaster University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2014-01-01 至 2015-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=549953
• 关键词: Nanostructured; Injectable; Hydrogels; Tunable; Smart

Hydrogels, water-swollen polymer networks, have tremendous potential for addressing current challenges in the environment (e.g. soil remediation, pesticide delivery), consumer products (e.g. moisturizers, shampoos), food (e.g. flavour masking, nutritional supplements, safe packaging), and medicine (controlled delivery of drugs, medical adhesives, or cell growth supports). Biological applications have attracted particular interest given that the chemical, physical, and mechanical properties of hydrogels can be designed to mimic biological soft tissues such as muscle, enabling hydrogels to satisfy application needs that other types of materials cannot. To effectively apply hydrogels in these applications, the nano-scale and surface properties of hydrogels must be precisely controlled to achieve the drug release rate, cell interaction, or adhesion strength required. The proposed research aims to develop injectable hydrogels, based on microgels (i.e. small hydrogel particles) and/or engineered polymers that rapidly form hydrogels upon injection from low-viscosity precursors, that have well-controlled chemistries and physical properties on the nano-scale. Our approach is to develop a range of chemically-reactive building blocks with well-defined properties and then mix them in different combinations and different ratios; manipulation of the simultaneous chemical reaction to form a gel and physical interactions between the building blocks selected is anticipated to create oriented hydrogel and microgel structures that degrade at programmed rates. The incorporation of "smart" materials into the building blocks whose properties change upon some stimulus (e.g. temperature, light, or pH) provides further, external control over the gel properties. Such materials have significant potential for designing improved sensors, enabling prolonged duration drug therapies (improving the efficacy while reducing the frequency of drug treatments), controlling cell adhesion (improving wound healing), creating strong, flexible bonds between tissues (improving wet adhesives), and creating fast-responding "gates" for nanotechnology. The proposed research program also creates opportunities for interdisciplinary training integral to address current technology challenges.

水凝胶，水溶胀聚合物网络，具有巨大的潜力，以解决目前的挑战，在环境（如土壤修复，农药输送），消费品（如保湿剂，洗发水），食品（如掩味，营养补充剂，安全包装），和医药（药物，医用粘合剂或细胞生长支持的控制输送）。 生物应用已经引起了特别的兴趣，因为水凝胶的化学、物理和机械性质可以被设计成模拟生物软组织，例如肌肉，使得水凝胶能够满足其他类型材料不能满足的应用需求。 为了在这些应用中有效地应用水凝胶，必须精确控制水凝胶的纳米尺度和表面性质，以实现所需的药物释放速率、细胞相互作用或粘附强度。 拟议的研究旨在开发基于微凝胶（即小水凝胶颗粒）和/或工程聚合物的可注射水凝胶，这些聚合物在从低粘度前体注射时快速形成水凝胶，在纳米尺度上具有良好控制的化学和物理特性。 我们的方法是开发一系列具有明确性质的化学反应性构建块，然后将它们以不同的组合和不同的比例混合;操纵同时发生的化学反应以形成凝胶，并在所选择的构建块之间进行物理相互作用，预计将产生以编程速率降解的定向水凝胶和微凝胶结构。 将“智能”材料掺入其性质在一些刺激（例如温度、光或pH）下改变的结构单元中提供了对凝胶性质的进一步外部控制。 这种材料在设计改进的传感器、延长药物治疗时间（提高疗效，同时降低药物治疗频率）、控制细胞粘附（改善伤口愈合）、在组织之间建立牢固、灵活的结合（改善湿粘合剂）以及为纳米技术创造快速响应的“门”方面具有巨大的潜力。 拟议的研究计划还创造了跨学科培训的机会，以解决当前的技术挑战。