Biopolymer-based hydrogels as scaffolds for tissue engineering applications: a review

Hydrogen bonds are like human beings in the sense that they exhibit typical grouplike behavior. As an individual they are feeble, easy to break, and sometimes hard to detect. However, when acting together they become much stronger and lean on each other. This phenomenon, which in scientific terms is called cooperativity, is based on the fact that 1+1 is more than 2. By using this principle, chemists have developed a wide variety of chemically stable structures that are based on the reversible formation of multiple hydrogen bonds. More than 20 years of fundamental studies on these phenomena have gradually developed into a new discipline within the field of organic synthesis, and is nowadays called noncovalent synthesis. This review describes noncovalent synthesis based on the reversible formation of multiple hydrogen bonds. Starting with a thorough description of what the hydrogen bond really is, it guides the reader through a variety of bimolecular and higher order assemblies and exemplifies the general principles that determine their stability. Special focus is given to reversible capsules based on hydrogen-bonding interactions that exhibit interesting encapsulation phenomena. Furthermore, the role of hydrogen-bond formation in self-replicating processes is actively discussed, and finally the review briefly summarizes the development of novel materials (nanotubes, liquid crystals, polymers, etc.) and principles (dynamic libraries) that recently have emanated from this intriguing field of research.

Noncovalent synthesis using hydrogen bonding

Thermosensitive water-soluble copolymers with doubly responsive reversibly interacting entities

Functional copolymers of N-isopropylacrylamide for bioengineering applications

The whole range of organic-inorganic hybrid materials are generally molded into specifically designed devices with fascinating properties that are precisely controlled. The mimicking of the processes involved in biomineralization may provide new approaches to the fabrication of specialized organic-inorganic hybrid materials. Recently, researchers found that the control over polymorphism, crystallographic orientation, and crystal organization are paramount in determining the properties of hybrid materials. In this article, the biomimetic synthesis of calcium carbonate, the most abundant biomineral, has been the main focus.

Biomimetic CaCO3 mineralization using designer molecules and interfaces

Network and swelling parameters of chemically crosslinked thermoreversible hydrogels

Rapid swelling and deswelling in cryogels of crosslinked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid)

Observations on some copolymerisations involving N-isopropylacrylamide

The combination of two important organizational principles, that is surfactant monolayer assembly and the triazinetriamine - triazinetrione hydrogen-bonding molecular ribbon, produces a hybrid assembly which is used as a novel template to control the orientation and morphology in the crystallization of calcium carbonate.

Simon Champ

Papers

Network and swelling parameters of chemically crosslinked thermoreversible hydrogels

Rapid swelling and deswelling in cryogels of crosslinked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid)

Observations on some copolymerisations involving N-isopropylacrylamide

Hydrogen-bonded molecular ribbons as templates for the synthesis of modified mineral phases

Thermoreversible swelling behaviour of hydrogels based on N-isopropylacrylamide with a zwitterionic comonomer