Smart and Stimuli-Responsive Biomaterials

Smart Biomaterials: Multifunctional Self-Healing Hydrogels: Self-healable hydrogels are promising substitutes for brittle hydrogels due to their excellent durability and stability. Eco-Friendly Intrinsically Antibacterial and Mechanically Robust Self-Healing Hydrogels are developed for bone and periodontal defect repair. The hydrogels exhibited excellent self-healing properties, mechanical robustness, and malleability. Furthermore, characterization techniques confirmed successful crosslinking and interactions within the network. The hydrogels demonstrated significant water absorption, tunable degradation, and potent antibacterial activity against E. coli, S. aureus and P. gingivalis. In vitro studies confirmed good cytocompatibility with epithelial and fibroblasts cells. Wound healing assays further supported the potential of these hydrogels for tissue regeneration applications. This approach offers a promising alternative to traditional drug-loaded hydrogels, overcoming limitations of cost and potential for resistance.

Stimuli-Responsive Biomaterials: We develop injectable, thermo-responsive hydrogels for hard tissue engineering using cost-effective calcium glycerophosphate (Ca-GP), chitosan (CS), hydroxyapatite (HA), and zein (ZN). These materials gel rapidly at body temperature, exhibit good mechanical strength (enhanced by ZN), tunable degradation, excellent biocompatibility, and potential for drug delivery/antibacterial action. They offer a promising minimally invasive solution for regenerating skeletal defects.

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