Mussel-Inspired Reusable Tissue Adhesive Hydrogel and its Nanocomposite with Nanoclay for Enhancing Self-Healing and Mechanical Properties

作者：Yinlei Lin, Sheng Sun, Deqiang Liu, Jiashang Yin, Zhipeng Yang, Dechao Hu, Junjie Deng, Huawen Hu, Guangji Li · 发表于：Langmuir · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1021/acs.langmuir.5c00708 · 被引用次数：7 · 研究领域：Polymer Surface Interaction Studies、Electrospun Nanofibers in Biomedical Applications、Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications

Tissue adhesives are increasingly sought after for their potential to minimize invasiveness, simplify surgical procedures, and reduce operative times; however, conventional polyacrylamide (PAM)-based hydrogels are often hindered by irreversible bonding, which limits their reusability and compromises both mechanical integrity and self-healing ability. Motivated by the natural adhesion mechanisms of mussels, we have developed an innovative tissue adhesive hydrogel by incorporating polydopamine (PDA) and cysteine (Cys) into a PAM matrix via free radical polymerization, with polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) serving as an effective cross-linker. In our system, PDA contributes essential catechol groups for strong tissue adhesion, while Cys not only preserves these groups from oxidation but also enhances hydrophilic interactions, resulting in a PDA-Cys-PAM hydrogel with a tensile strength of 23.4-30.7 kPa, a fracture elongation of 628-706%, and an elongation recovery of 48%. Significantly, the seamless integration of nanoclay into the hydrogel network further reinforces its structure and improves energy dissipation, leading to a marked enhancement of the self-healing performance─evidenced by an increase in the elongation recovery rate to 71.9%─without compromising the inherent mechanical properties. Moreover, in vitro assays with NIH3T3 cells demonstrate excellent biocompatibility, underscoring the potential of this synergistic design. Overall, our work not only elucidates the...