2016
03.22

Program Student Research Results Inserting a macroscopic anisotropic structure into a gel Results published in Nature Communications

Program Student Research Results Inserting a macroscopic anisotropic structure into a gel Results published in Nature Communications

Pilot Program Student Riku Takahashi, a student from Gong Group, Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, has succeeded in inserting a macroscopic anisotropic structure into a gel using rigid polymer electrolyte. The results of this research were published in Nature Communications (Volume 5, Article number 4490, 2014) with Takahashi as a first author. This method demonstrated for the first time that the normally disordered interior of a hydrogel can be re-arranged according to the way the rigid polymer is designed. As the macroscopic anisotropic structure is similar to the structure of collagen fibers in normal cartilage, this result heightens the expectation of further development of bio-materials with more advanced features.

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