Effect of Carbodiimide Functionalization Chemistry on Alginate Structure and Hydrogel Properties
Saeger, Mitchell.
2016
-
Abstract: Designing
scaffolds for regenerative tissue engineering relies upon creating a suitable
microenvironment for directing biological responses. This work aims to further
characterize functionalized alginate hydrogels designed to mimic the extracellular
matrix. We investigated the effects of reactant concentrations, ligand loading density,
and peptide spacer arm length on reaction ... read moreefficiency, hydrogel mechanical properties,
and gelation kinetics. Altering reactant concentrations had the greatest effect on both
reaction yield and hydrogel performance. Low activation conditions resulted in over
twice the yield relative to high activation chemistry while producing stiffer gels that
possessed improved gelation kinetics. These results indicate that both the side
reactions and structural modifications caused during functionalization affect hydrogel
formation. This work provides deeper understanding into the interplay between alginate
functionalization chemistry and hydrogel properties. These insights are important in
creating 3D scaffolds that accurately mimic the desired microenvironments for supporting
and directing key cellular processes.
Thesis (M.S.)--Tufts University, 2016.
Submitted to the Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering.
Advisor: Darryl Williams.
Committee: Ayse Asatekin, and Catherine Kuo.
Keywords: Chemical engineering, and Biomedical engineering.read less - ID:
- v405sn673
- Component ID:
- tufts:21284
- To Cite:
- TARC Citation Guide EndNote
