What is a hydrogel with continuous gradients in nano-hydroxyapatite content?

Here, a hydrogel with continuous gradients in nano-hydroxyapatite (HA) content, mechanical, and magnetism is developed using synthesized superparamagnetic HA nanorods (MagHA) that easily respond to a brief magnetic field.

How is a gradient controlled in a polyethylene glycol-diacrylate (peg-da) hydrogel?

The gradient was spatially controlled by the backward flow time and the hydrogel material containing the gradient was synthesized via photopolymerization. Gradients of a cell-adhesion ligand, Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (RGDS), was incorporated in the poly (ethylene glycol)-diacrylate (PEG-DA) hydrogels to test the response of endothelial cells.

How is stiffness gradient created in a two-layered PAAM hydrogel?

The authors developed a two-layered PAAm hydrogel where the stiffness gradient was created through differential diffusion of unreacted crosslinker and monomer into a prepolymerized hydrogel sink.

How conductive are PAAM-based hydrogels?

However, the electrical conductivity of PAAm-based hydrogels (usually <1 S m −1) still lags behind traditional metal-based electronics (>10 7 S m −1). Their electrical and mechanical properties are strongly influenced by the distribution of conductive nanomaterials within the hydrogel network.

How are mechanical properties of hydrogels correlated with cellular behavior?

For this purpose, the mechanical properties of hydrogels are tailored and correlated with cellular behavior. The quality and reproducibility of mechanobiological studies rely on the accurate characterization of hydrogel's mechanical properties, including elasticity, viscoelasticity, swelling behavior, and mesh size.

How can a microfluidic channel create a chemical gradient?

Here we describe a simple and versatile method to rapidly generate materials containing centimeter-long gradients of chemical properties in a microfluidic channel. The formation of chemical gradient was initiated by a passive-pump-induced forward flow and further developed during an evaporation-induced backward flow.