Ion-induced nanopatterning of a bacterial cellulose hydrogel

Hydrogels provide a solution-mimicking environment for the interaction with living systems that make them desirable for various biomedical and technological applications. Because relevant biological processes in living tissues occur at the biomolecular scale, hydrogel nanopatterning can be leveraged...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2020-06
Main Authors: Arias, Sandra L, Cheng, Ming Kit, Civantos, Ana, Devorkin, Joshua, Jaramillo, Camilo, Allain, Jean Paul
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aqueous environments
Argon
Argon ions
Biological activity
Biomedical materials
Bonding strength
Cellulose
High aspect ratio
Hydrogels
Material properties
Nanostructure
Sterilization
Submerging
Surface properties
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Summary:Hydrogels provide a solution-mimicking environment for the interaction with living systems that make them desirable for various biomedical and technological applications. Because relevant biological processes in living tissues occur at the biomolecular scale, hydrogel nanopatterning can be leveraged to attain novel material properties and functionalities. However, the fabrication of high aspect ratio (HAR) nanostructures in hydrogels capable of self-standing in aqueous environments, with fine control of the size and shape distribution, remains challenging. Here, we report the synthesis of nanostructures with a HAR in bacterial cellulose (BC) hydrogel via directed plasma nanosynthesis using argon ions. The nanostructures in BC are reproducible, stable to sterilization, and liquid immersion. Using in-situ surface characterization and semi-empirical modeling, we discovered that pattern formation was linked to the formation of graphite-like clusters composed of a mixture of C-C and C=C bonds. Moreover, our model predicts that reactive species at the onset of the argon irradiation accelerate the bond breaking of weak bonds, contributing to the formation of an amorphous carbon layer and nanopattern growth.
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.1912.05650