Devin G. Barrett Messersmith Lab Department of Biomedical Engineering
... enriched in metal ions and DOPA, a catecholic amino acid. While the presence of metal ions has been largely underappreciated, DOPA is well-studied and thought to play roles in both the adhesion and cohesion of the byssus. Due to this interesting combination of features, the byssus has served as the ...
... enriched in metal ions and DOPA, a catecholic amino acid. While the presence of metal ions has been largely underappreciated, DOPA is well-studied and thought to play roles in both the adhesion and cohesion of the byssus. Due to this interesting combination of features, the byssus has served as the ...
Srini Raghavan
... shape. For example, we have made self-folding hydrogel sheets, where an initial flat sheet curls up into a folded tube under the action of the appropriate stimulus. An additional challenge in this area is to design gels that are responsive to specific solutes (e.g., proteins or enzymes, or small mol ...
... shape. For example, we have made self-folding hydrogel sheets, where an initial flat sheet curls up into a folded tube under the action of the appropriate stimulus. An additional challenge in this area is to design gels that are responsive to specific solutes (e.g., proteins or enzymes, or small mol ...
Designing peptide/graphene hydrogels for biomedical and tissue
... The progress in biomedical and tissue engineering fields requires the design of novel functional 3D scaffolds. The materials used must be biocompatible, mechanically tunable, and offer further attractive physicochemical properties for applications such as drug delivery or cell culture. Both selfasse ...
... The progress in biomedical and tissue engineering fields requires the design of novel functional 3D scaffolds. The materials used must be biocompatible, mechanically tunable, and offer further attractive physicochemical properties for applications such as drug delivery or cell culture. Both selfasse ...
Self-healing hydrogels
Self-healing hydrogels are a specialized type of polymer hydrogel. A hydrogel is a macromolecular polymer gel constructed of a network of crosslinked polymer chains. Hydrogels are synthesized from hydrophilic monomers by either chain or step growth, along with a functional crosslinker to promote network formation. A net-like structure along with void imperfections enhance the hydrogel's ability to absorb large amounts of water via hydrogen bonding. As a result, hydrogels, self-healing alike, develop characteristic firm yet elastic mechanical properties. Self-healing refers to the spontaneous formation of new bonds when old bonds are broken within a material. The structure of the hydrogel along with electrostatic attraction forces drive new bond formation through reconstructive covalent dangling side chain or non-covalent hydrogen bonding. These flesh-like properties have motivated the research and development of self-healing hydrogels in fields such as reconstructive tissue engineering as scaffolding, as well as use in passive and preventive applications.