Supramolecular Biomaterials Enabling Innovations in Cell and Drug Delivery
Presented by Eric Appel

Supramolecular biomaterials exhibit highly useful properties that are impossible with traditional materials but crucial for a wide variety of emerging applications in industry or biomedicine. These materials typically employ enthalpy-dominated crosslinking interactions that become more dynamic at elevated temperatures, leading to significant softening. Herein, we all will discuss the development of a supramolecular hydrogel platform exploiting dynamic and multivalent interactions between biopolymers and and nanoparticles that are strongly entropically driven, providing alternative temperature dependencies than typical for materials of this type. We will discuss the implications of these crosslinking thermodynamics and kinetics of these crosslinking interactions enable broad modulation of the mechanical properties of these materials, including their shear-dependent viscosities, temperature responsiveness, self-healing, and cargo encapsulation and controlled release. 

 

Friday, November 15, 2024
Virtually from 9:00AM-10:00AM
For more information please head to https://klesse.utsa.edu/bmce/strech/