Suturing property of tough double network hydrogels for bio-repair materials

Abstract

Cartilage and meniscal lesions have limited potential for spontaneous repair. Consequently, much effort has been made to develop methods for repairing such lesions. Double-network (DN) gels are new candidate-materials for repairing such lesions. They exhibit exceptional mechanical strength and toughness in spite of their high water content. In this study, we prepared highly tough DN hydrogels and investigated the mechanical properties related to clinical implant use. The mechanical properties such as Young's modulus and suture tear-out strength were measured for the artificial replacement. The results suggest that the suture property of DN hydrogels can be adjusted by controlling the crosslinlcing density and monomer concentration. Finite element method was also applied to these DN hydrogels in order to check whether the fracture strength of the material is enough to meet a medical purpose.