Affiliation:
1. State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials Center for Advanced Low‐dimension Materials College of Materials Science and Engineering Donghua University Shanghai 201620 P. R. China
2. South China Advanced Institute for Soft Mater Science and Technology School of Molecular Science and Engineering South China University of Technology Guangzhou 510640 P. R. China
Abstract
AbstractThe ligament, which connects bones at the joints, has both high water content and excellent mechanical properties in living organisms. However, it is still challenging to fabricate fibrous materials that possess high water content and ligament‐like mechanical characteristics simultaneously. Herein, the design and preparation of a ligament‐mimicking multicomponent fiber is reported through stepwise assembly of polysaccharide, calcium, and dopamine. In simulated body fluid, the resulting fiber has a water content of 40 wt%, while demonstrating strength of ≈120 MPa, a Young's modulus of ≈3 GPa, and a toughness of ≈25 MJ m−3. Additionally, the multicomponent fiber exhibits excellent creep and fatigue resistance, as well as biocompatibility to support cell growth in vitro. These findings suggest that the fiber has potential for engineering high‐performance artificial ligament.
Funder
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China