Using Stereochemistry to Control Mechanical Properties in Thiol–Yne Click‐Hydrogels
Open Access
- 22 September 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Angewandte Chemie
- Vol. 60 (49), 25856-25864
- https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202107161
Abstract
The stereochemistry of polymers has a profound impact on their mechanical properties. While this has been observed in thermoplastics, studies on how stereochemistry affects the bulk properties of swollen networks, such as hydrogels, are limited. Typically, changing the stiffness of a hydrogel is achieved at the cost of changing another parameter, that in turn affects the physical properties of the material and ultimately influences the cellular response. Herein, we report that by manipulating the stereochemistry of a double bond, formed in situ during gelation, materials with diverse mechanical properties but comparable physical properties can be obtained. Click-hydrogels that possess a high % trans content are stiffer than their high % cis analogues by almost a factor of 3. Human mesenchymal stem cells acted as a substrate stiffness cell reporter demonstrating the potential of these platforms to study mechanotransduction without the influence of other external factors.Funding Information
- H2020 European Research Council (681559)
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/M011208/1)
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (DTP)
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