Despite extensive research in the design of biomaterials for articular cartilage repair, there remains a need for the development of materials with the mechanical compliance to function synergistically with healthy cartilage, but porous enough to allow for tissue integration. In this study, superporous hydrogels of poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) were prepared using a novel technique consisting of a double emulsion process. The hydrogel emulsions were physically cross-linked by freeze-thaw cycling. The hydrogels had a high degree of porosity, determined using environmental scanning electron microscopy, a technique superior to any method that involves dehydrating the samples. Increasing the volume of organic solvent increased porosity, due to cross-linking of the hydrogel solution around the droplets in the emulsion, leaving pores where the organic solvent was present. Poly(lactic-co-glyclic acid) microparticles formed and were embedded in the matrix. The mechanical properties, measured in confined creep and in unconfined, uniaxial compression, were similar to native articular cartilage. The permeability of the samples was unaffected by changing solvent content, despite changes in porosity. These materials are good candidates for tissue engineering of cartilage because they can mimic mature cartilage mechanically while providing a porous matrix through which cells can migrate and proliferate.
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 6. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 14 November 2023.
All research outputs
#7,194,606
of 33,276,949 outputs
Outputs from Acta Biomaterialia
#1,498
of 5,440 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#23,965
of 113,291 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Acta Biomaterialia
#2
of 19 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 33,276,949 research outputs across all sources so far. This one has received more attention than most of these and is in the 74th percentile.
So far Altmetric has tracked 5,440 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a little more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 6.5. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 64% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 113,291 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 67% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 19 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 57% of its contemporaries.
