Compared with single-network hydrogels,double-network hydrogels offer higher mechanical strength and toughness.Integrating useful functions into double-network hydrogels can expand the portfolios of the hydrogels.We r...Compared with single-network hydrogels,double-network hydrogels offer higher mechanical strength and toughness.Integrating useful functions into double-network hydrogels can expand the portfolios of the hydrogels.We report the preparation of double-network metallopolymer hydrogels with remarkable hydration,antifouling,and antimicrobial properties.These cationic hydrogels are composed of a first network of cationic cobaltocenium polyelectrolytes and a second network of polyacrylamide,all prepared via radical polymerization.Antibiotics were further installed into the hydrogels via ion-complexation with metal cations.These hydrogels exhibited significantly enhanced hydration,compared with polyacrylamide-based hydrogels,while featuring robust mechanical strength.Cationic metallopolymer hydrogels exhibited strong antifouling against oppositely charged proteins.These antibiotic-loaded hydrogels demonstrated a synergistic effect on the inhibition of bacterial growth and antifouling of bacteria,as a result of the unique ion complexation of cobaltocenium cations.展开更多
基金The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health(No.R01AI120987).
文摘Compared with single-network hydrogels,double-network hydrogels offer higher mechanical strength and toughness.Integrating useful functions into double-network hydrogels can expand the portfolios of the hydrogels.We report the preparation of double-network metallopolymer hydrogels with remarkable hydration,antifouling,and antimicrobial properties.These cationic hydrogels are composed of a first network of cationic cobaltocenium polyelectrolytes and a second network of polyacrylamide,all prepared via radical polymerization.Antibiotics were further installed into the hydrogels via ion-complexation with metal cations.These hydrogels exhibited significantly enhanced hydration,compared with polyacrylamide-based hydrogels,while featuring robust mechanical strength.Cationic metallopolymer hydrogels exhibited strong antifouling against oppositely charged proteins.These antibiotic-loaded hydrogels demonstrated a synergistic effect on the inhibition of bacterial growth and antifouling of bacteria,as a result of the unique ion complexation of cobaltocenium cations.