Hydrogels can now be stuck to hydrophobic silicone substrates
ERJ staff report (BC)
Urbana-Champaign, Illinois – University of Illinois bioengineers have found a way to reconcile the advantages of silicone substrates – they are inert, elastic, easy to work with and biocompatible – with their strongly hydrophobic properties, which had previously precluded their use as hydrogel supports.
The researchers expect benefits for the design of cell culture platforms and microfluidic devices, as applied to novel drug delivery and cell transplantation systems.
The study is reported in the 1 July issue of the peer-reviewed journal Angewandte Chemie, and the work has been highlighted as a "Hot Paper" by the editors of Soft Material Chemistry.
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