Moldable crystalline α-chitin hydrogel with toughness and transparency toward ocular applications
2020
A N-acetylated chitosan hydrogel was investigated
for ocular applications. One of the drawbacks in the original hydrogel
protocol, poor moldability, was circumvented by optimizing the addition
of the acetylating agent, acetic acid anhydride (Ac2O),
at −10 °C. This simple but significant optimization realized
the preparation of N-acetylated chitosan hydrogels
with a wider variety of parameters such as higher chitosan concentration
and molecular weight, the use of a more benign solvent (ethanol replaced
methanol), and the arbitral shapes ranging from microbeads and contact
lenses to bulky blocks that could be gripped. The prepared N-acetylated chitosan hydrogels exhibited high transparency
and integrity given the nanofibrous network made of highly crystalline
α-chitin. Furthermore, the gel retained a regenerable character:
an oven-dried gel was reswollen by emersion in an acid bath. These
previously unnoticed advantages and the innate high biocompatibility
of chitosan and chitin elevate N-acetylated chitosan
hydrogel as a next-generation bio-derived soft material for ocular
applications such as contact lenses, artificial corneas, and drug
delivery vehicles.
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