1 research outputs found
From Molecular Structure to Macromolecular Organization: Keys to Design Supramolecular Biomaterials
In
the past decade, significant progress has been made in the field
of biomaterials, for potential applications in tissue engineering
or drug delivery. We have recently developed a new class of thermoplastic
elastomers, based on ureidopyrimidinone (UPy) quadruple hydrogen bonding
motifs. These supramolecular polymers form nanofiber-like aggregates
initially <i>via</i> the dimerization of the UPy units followed
by lateral urea-hydrogen bonding. Combined kinetic and thermodynamic
studies unravel the pathway complexity in the formation of these polymorphic
nanofibers and the subtlety of the polymer’s design, while
these morphologies are so critically important when these materials
are used in combination with cells. We also show that the cell behavior
directly depends on the length and shape of the nanofibers, illustrating
the key importance of macromolecular and supramolecular organization
of biomaterials. This study leads to new design rules that determine
what factors are decisive for a polymer to be a good candidate as
biomaterial