黑料网

Researchers at 黑料网, in collaboration with Polytechnique Montr茅al, pioneered a new way to create hydrogels using ultrasound, eliminating the need for toxic chemical initiators. This breakthrough offers a faster, cleaner and more sustainable approach to hydrogel fabrication, and produces hydrogels that are stronger, more flexible and highly resistant to freezing and dehydration. The new method also promises to facilitate advances in tissue engineering, bioadhesives and 3D bioprinting.聽

Hydrogels are gels composed of polymers that can absorb and retain large amounts of water.聽 They are widely used in wound dressings, drug delivery, tissue engineering, soft robotics, soft contact lenses and more.聽

Gel formation within minutes

Traditional hydrogel manufacturing relies on chemical initiators, some of which can be harmful, particularly in medical applications. Initiators are the chemicals used to trigger chemical chain reactions. The 黑料网 research team, led by Mechanical Engineering Professor Jianyu Li, has developed an alternative method using ultrasound. When applied to a liquid precursor, sound waves create microscopic bubbles that collapse with immense energy, triggering gel formation within minutes.聽

鈥淭he problem we aimed to solve was the reliance on toxic chemical initiators,鈥� said Li. 鈥淥ur method eliminates these substances, making the process safer for the body and better for the environment.鈥澛�

This ultrasound-driven technique is dubbed 鈥渟onogel.鈥�

鈥淭ypical hydrogel synthesis can take hours or even overnight under UV light,鈥� said Li. 鈥淲ith ultrasound, it happens in just five minutes.鈥澛�

Revolutionizing biomedical applications

One of the most exciting possibilities for this technology is in non-invasive medical treatments. Because ultrasound waves can penetrate deep into tissues, this method could enable in-body hydrogel formation without surgery.聽聽

鈥淚magine injecting a liquid precursor and using ultrasound to solidify it precisely where needed,鈥� said Li. 鈥淭his could be a game-changer for treating tissue damage and regenerative medicine. Further refinement, we can unlock new possibilities for safer, greener material production.鈥澛�

The technique also opens the door to ultrasound-based 3D bioprinting. Instead of relying on light or heat, researchers could use sound waves to precisely 鈥減rint鈥� hydrogel structures.聽聽

鈥淏y leveraging high-intensity focused ultrasound, we can shape and build hydrogels with remarkable precision,鈥� said Jean Provost, one of co-authors of the study and assistant professor of engineering physics at Polytechnique Montr茅al.聽聽

About the study聽

, Jianyu Li, et al., was published in Advanced Science. This research was funded by the NSERC/FRQNT NOVA program.聽聽