Supramolecular hydrogels of α-cyclodextrin/reverse poloxamines/carbon-based nanomaterials and its multi-functional application

Abstract

Supramolecular hydrogels were prepared using a-cyclodextrin (a-CD) and a poloxamine (reverse Tetronic 90R4, T90R4) which has four diblock arms with a poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (PPO-PEO) structure. The a-CD can slide past the PPO blocks and towards the middle PEO blocks owing to the unsuitable energy between a-CD and PPO to form a-CD/T90R4 inclusion complexes (ICs). The incorporation of graphene oxide (GO) into a-CD/T90R4 ICs changes their phase behavior and forms mechanically strong hydrogels because of the hydrogen-bonding between the GO nanosheets and the a-CD and PEO blocks of T90R4. The native hydrogel, as well as the a-CD/T90R4/GO hybrid hydrogels, have been thoroughly characterized by using various microscopy techniques. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) was used to observe the morphology of the hydrogel, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to evaluate the thermal stability of the hydrogel. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the interactions within the supramolecular assemblies and the degree of crystallinity of the xerogels, respectively. The experimental results demonstrated that a-CD/T90R4/GO hybrid hydrogels could adsorb various dyes selectively, and that it is a promising candidate for sewage treatment, while the native one cannot adsorb the dyes well. Moreover, the native a-CD/T90R4 hydrogel has excellent biocompatibility, and the results of the in vitro drug release study showed that the injectable doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded hydrogel is appropriate for the controlled release of anticancer drugs, while the a-CD/T90R4/GO hybrid hydrogels can reduce the release rate of DOX.

Composites of Polymer Hydrogels and Nanoparticulate Systems for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Applications

“…Therefore, carbon-based NPs with excellent optical, thermal and electrical conductivity are considered as highly promising materials to engineer conductive stimuli-responsive hydrogels [ 3 , 83 , 84 , 95 ]. A variety of optical or electrical-responsive nanocomposite hydrogels as actuator, biosensor or tissue engineering scaffold have been developed by incorporating with carbon-based NPs [ 91 , 92 , 101 , 102 ]. Overall, due to the fact that the carbon-based NPs often possess highly desirable functions that cannot be commonly found in polymers, the strategies of integrating carbon-based NPs into polymer hydrogels to develop composite hydrogels with enhanced mechanical strength and specialized properties (e.g., electrical, thermal and optical conductivity) are expected to be extensively explored for biomedical applications.…”

“…Copyright Royal Society of Chemistry, 2014; ( D ): surface-grafted polymerization, reproduced with permission from [ 104 ]. Copyright American Chemical Society, 2012; ( E ): supramolecular self-assembly by hydrogen bonding, reproduced with permission from [ 102 ]. Copyright Royal Society of Chemistry, 2015.…”

Structure and Rheology of Poloxamine T1107 and Its Nanocomposite Hydrogels with Cyclodextrin-Modified Barium Titanate Nanoparticles

“…The introduction of nanoparticles in a hydrogel is known to alter its mechanical properties, as well as the thermogelation behaviour of the system . 40,56,57 We thus examine the rheological behaviour of the hydrogel nanocomposites, in particular the effect of nanoparticle size (50 nm and 200 nm), the relative proportion of poloxamine and NP (varied from 0 to 20% in BaTiO3) and the effect of solvent (both water and phosphate buffered saline, PBS). The introduction of BT nanoparticles is expected to impact gel formation by either affecting the packing of the micelles or increasing connectivity in the network, thus modifying the properties of the system.…”

Pseudo-Polyrotaxanes of Cyclodextrins with Direct and Reverse X-Shaped Block Copolymers: A Kinetic and Structural Study

“…There are very few studies on PPRs based on poloxamines, mostly by us [45][46][47][48] and some other groups. 49,50 In particular, the kinetics of PPRs formation with native CDs and the effect of temperature and aggregation state have not yet been studied.…”