Class: Nanomechanics of Materials and Biomaterials (3.052)
Term: Spring 2018
This project details the mechanical functionalization of hydrogels by grafting biocompatible polymers to pore sites, thereby strengthening the gel.
There are three research aims in this proposal. First, natural polymers will be grafted onto the surface of pores of a collagen tissue scaffold to mimic the chondrocyte microstress environment of knee cartilage. Second, the pore size and shape of the composite tissue engineered scaffold will be structured by 3D printing. Third, the multiscale (nano- to macro- scale) mechanical properties of the composite tissue engineered scaffolds will be tested in vitro under tensile, compressive, and shear forces.