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β-Cyclodextrin (β-CD) is often used as a drug carrier for biomedical materials due to its unique cavity structure. Herein, β-CD was modified by acryloyl chloride and further copolymerized with N -isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and acrylic acid (AA) to obtain PNIPAM -co- β-CD-AC. The results showed that the critical phase transition temperature of PNIPAM/β-CD-AC could be controlled at 19 °C, and the fast sol-gel phase transition was realized in 2-10 s. The hydrophobic drug carried in this hydrogel can constantly be released for more than 6 days at pH values (pH 5.5-8), and the duration may match the recovery of the wound. As a dressing hydrogel, its rapid gel formation and inversion as well as shear-thinning behavior prevent secondary wound damage. The β-CD-based hydrogel also has good biocompatibility and antioxidant properties, which provide a good potential choice for wound dressings, especially for exposed wounds in winter.

Stretchable and compressible hydrogels based on natural polymers have received immense considerations for electronics. The feasibility of using pure natural polymer-based hydrogels could be improved if their mechanical behaviors satisfy the requirements of practical applications. Herein, we report highly stretchable (tensile strain ∼126%) and compressible (compression strain ∼80%) cellulose ionic hydrogels (CIHs) among pure natural polymer-based hydrogels including cellulose, chitin, and chitosan via chemical cross-linking based on free radical polymerization of allyl cellulose in NaOH/urea aqueous solution. In addition, the hydrogels have good transparency (transmittance of ∼89% at 550 nm) and ionic conductivity (∼0.16 mS cm -1 ) and can be worked at -20 °C without freezing and visual loss of transparency. Moreover, the CIHs can serve as reliable and stable strain sensors and have been successfully used to monitor human activities. Significantly, the various properties of hydrogel can be controlled through rationally adjusting the chemically cross-linked density. Our methodology will prove useful in developing the satisfied mechanical and transparent CIHs for a myriad of applications in flexible electronics.

The current study aims to demonstrate the influence of the surface chemistry of wood-derived cellulose nanofibril (CNF) hydrogels on fibroblasts for tissue engineering applications. TEMPO-mediated oxidation or carboxymethylation pretreatments were employed to produce hydrogels with different surface chemistry. This study demonstrates the following: first, the gelation of CNF with cell culture medium and formation of stable hydrogels with improved rheological properties; second, the response of mouse fibroblasts cultured on the surface of the hydrogels or sandwiched within the materials with respect to cytotoxicity, cell attachment, proliferation, morphology, and migration. Indirect cytotoxicity tests showed no toxic effect of either hydrogel. The direct contact with the carboxymethylated hydrogel adversely influenced the morphology of the cells and limited their spreading, while typical morphology and spreading of cells were observed with the TEMPO-oxidized hydrogel. The porous fibrous structure may be a key to cell proliferation and migration in the hydrogels.

Tunable erosion of polymeric materials is an important aspect of tissue engineering for reasons that include cell infiltration, controlled release of therapeutic agents, and ultimately to tissue healing. In general, the biological response to proteinaceous polymeric hydrogels is favorable (e.g., minimal inflammatory response). However, unlike synthetic polymers, achieving tunable erosion with natural materials is a challenge. Keratins are a class of intermediate filament proteins that can be obtained from several sources, including human hair, and have gained increasing levels of use in tissue engineering applications. An important characteristic of keratin proteins is the presence of a large number of cysteine residues. Two classes of keratins with different chemical properties can be obtained by varying the extraction techniques: (1) keratose by oxidative extraction and (2) kerateine by reductive extraction. Cysteine residues of keratose are "capped" by sulfonic acid and are unable to form covalent cross-links upon hydration, whereas cysteine residues of kerateine remain as sulfhydryl groups and spontaneously form covalent disulfide cross-links. Here, we describe a straightforward approach to fabricate keratin hydrogels with tunable rates of erosion by mixing keratose and kerateine. SEM imaging and mechanical testing of freeze-dried materials showed similar pore diameters and compressive moduli, respectively, for each keratose-kerateine mixture formulation (∼1200 kPa for freeze-dried materials and ∼1.5 kPa for hydrogels). However, the elastic modulus (G') determined by rheology varied in proportion with the keratose-kerateine ratios, as did the rate of hydrogel erosion and the release rate of thiol from the hydrogels. The variation in keratose-kerateine ratios also led to tunable control over release rates of recombinant human insulin-like growth factor 1.

When grafted β-cyclodextrin is used as targeting sites, Pluronic polymers have been introduced on the surface of cellulose nanocrystals by means of inclusion interaction between β-cyclodextrin and hydrophobic segment of the polymer. Because of the steric stabilization effect, surface poly(ethylene glycol) chains facilitate the dispersion and compatibility of nanocrystals, which also enhance the loading levels of nanocrystals in the hydrogel system. Meanwhile, uncovered poly(ethylene glycol) segments render the participating inclusion of α-cyclodextrin for the architecture of in situ hydrogels. Surface grafting and inclusion reactions were proved by solid (13)C NMR and FTIR. Grafting efficiency of β-cyclodextrin and inclusion efficiency of Pluronic on the surface of nanocrystals were confirmed by UV spectroscopy and elemental analysis. A significant enhancement of the structural and thermal stability of in situ hydrogels with high loading levels of modified nanocrystals (>5.77 wt %) was observed by rheological analysis. Further study reveals the performance and behavior of hydrogels under a different pH environment. Finally, in situ hydrogels were used as drug carrier for in vitro release of doxorubicin and exhibit the behavior of prolonged drug release with special release kinetics.

The adhesion of polyvinylamine to wet cellulose was significantly enhanced by the presence of pendant phenylboronic acid groups. It is proposed that adhesion results from boronate ester formation with cellulose at pH > 8. Experiments with phenol derivatized polyvinylamine gave low adhesion supporting the fact that the boronate moiety was responsible for strong adhesion to never-dried cellulose surfaces.