Showing papers by "Ulrike G. K. Wegst published in 2013"

Platelets self-assemble into porous nacre during freeze casting.

Abstract: Nacre possesses a remarkable combination of mechanical properties Its high stiffness, strength and toughness are attributed to a highly aligned structure of aragonite platelets "glued" together by a small fraction (∼5vol%) of polymer; theoretically it can be described by a shear-lag model of staggered tensile elements between which loads are transferred via shear Despite extensive research, it has not been possible yet to manufacture this aligned structure as a bulk material of considerable volume with a fast and easy production process Particularly porous materials would benefit from enhanced wall material properties to compensate for performance loss due to their high porosity An important application for such porous materials are tissue scaffolds for bone substitution Bone, like nacre, exhibits excellent mechanical properties, particularly an exceptionally high toughness, because of its composite structure of hydroxyapatite platelets aligned in a ∼35vol% polymer matrix Through the freeze casting process, which results in a fast and straightforward self-assembly of platelet-shaped particles during directional solidification, highly porous bulk materials with nacre-like cell walls can now be created This porous nacre outperforms by a factor of 15-4 in terms of stiffness, strength and toughness materials that have the same amount of porosity but do not exhibit the nacre-like microarchitecture The self-assembly process presented in this study thus has tremendous potential for the creation of highly porous, yet mechanically strong tissue scaffolds for low or medium load bearing bone substitute materials Due to the versatility of the freeze casting process, materials with a self-assembled cell wall structure can be created from high-aspect ratio particles of all material classes This enables material optimization for a great variety of applications such as impact protection, filtration, catalysis, energy generation and storage, in addition to those with excellent mechanical properties at high porosity

An ice-templated, linearly aligned chitosan-alginate scaffold for neural tissue engineering

Abstract: Several strategies have been investigated to enhance axonal regeneration after spinal cord injury, however, the resulting growth can be random and disorganized. Bioengineered scaffolds provide a physical substrate for guidance of regenerating axons towards their targets, and can be produced by freeze casting. This technique involves the controlled directional solidification of an aqueous solution or suspension, resulting in a linearly aligned porous structure caused by ice templating. In this study, freeze casting was used to fabricate porous chitosan-alginate (C/A) scaffolds with longitudinally oriented channels. Chick dorsal root ganglia explants adhered to and extended neurites through the scaffold in parallel alignment with the channel direction. Surface adsorption of a polycation and laminin promoted significantly longer neurite growth than the uncoated scaffold (poly-L-ornithine + Laminin = 793.2 ± 187.2 μm; poly-L-lysine + Laminin = 768.7 ± 241.2 μm; uncoated scaffold = 22.52 ± 50.14 μm) (P < 0.001). The elastic modulus of the hydrated scaffold was determined to be 5.08 ± 0.61 kPa, comparable to reported spinal cord values. The present data suggested that this C/A scaffold is a promising candidate for use as a nerve guidance scaffold, because of its ability to support neuronal attachment and the linearly aligned growth of DRG neurites.

Nanotechnology for dental implants.

Abstract: With the advent of nanotechnology, an opportunity exists for the engineering of new dental implant materials. Metallic dental implants have been successfully used for decades, but they have shortcomings related to osseointegration and mechanical properties that do not match those of bone. Absent the development of an entirely new class of materials, faster osseointegration of currently available dental implants can be accomplished by various surface modifications. To date, there is no consensus regarding the preferred method(s) of implant surface modification, and further development will be required before the ideal implant surface can be created, let alone become available for clinical use. Current approaches can generally be categorized into three areas: ceramic coatings, surface functionalization, and patterning on the micro- to nanoscale. The distinctions among these are imprecise, as some or all of these approaches can be combined to improve in vivo implant performance. These surface improvements have resulted in durable implants with a high percentage of success and long-term function. Nanotechnology has provided another set of opportunities for the manipulation of implant surfaces in its capacity to mimic the surface topography formed by extracellular matrix components of natural tissue. The possibilities introduced by nanotechnology now permit the tailoring of implant chemistry and structure with an unprecedented degree of control. For the first time, tools are available that can be used to manipulate the physicochemical environment and monitor key cellular events at the molecular level. These new tools and capabilities will result in faster bone formation, reduced healing time, and rapid recovery to function.

New crosslinkers for electrospun chitosan fibre mats. Part II: mechanical properties

Abstract: Few studies exist on the mechanical performance of crosslinked electrospun chitosan (CS) fibre mats. In this study, we show that the mat structure and mechanical performance depend on the different crosslinking agents genipin, epichlorohydrin (ECH), and hexamethylene-1,6-diaminocarboxysulphonate (HDACS), as well as the post-electrospinning heat and base activation treatments. The mat structure was imaged by field emission scanning electron microscopy and the mechanical performance was tested in tension. The elastic modulus, tensile strength, strain at failure and work to failure were found to range from 52 to 592 MPa, 2 to 30 MPa, 2 to 31 per cent and 0.041 to 3.26 MJ m−3, respectively. In general, neat CS mats were found to be the stiffest and the strongest, though least ductile, while CS–ECH mats were the least stiff, weakest, but the most ductile, and CS–HDACS fibre mats exhibited intermediary mechanical properties. The mechanical performance of the mats is shown to reflect differences in the fibre diameter, number of fibre–fibre contacts formed within the mat, as well as varying intermolecular bonding and moisture content. The findings reported here complement the chemical properties of the mats, described in part I of this study.

Crosslinking poly(allylamine) fibers electrospun from basic and acidic solutions

Abstract: Mechanically robust, non-toxic polymer fiber mats are promising materials for a range of biomedical applications; however, further research into enhancing polymer selection is needed. In this study, poly(allylamine) (PAH), an amine-containing polyelectrolyte, was successfully electrospun from aqueous solutions into continuous, cylindrical fibers with a mean diameter of 150 ± 41 nm. A one-step crosslinking method using glutaraldehyde provides insight into the chemical and morphological changes that result from altering the molar ratio of amine to aldehyde groups, whereas a two-step crosslinking method yielded chemically and mechanically robust mats. These results indicate PAH fibrous mats synthesized from aqueous solutions could potentially be applied in biomedical applications.