Adhesion of poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels by the electrophoretic manipulation of phenylboronic acid copolymers

Abstract

With the aim of developing 3D soft materials with biocompatibility and non-toxicity properties, in this study, we attempted the rapid adhesion of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels to each other by using an electric field and water-soluble intermediate phenylboronic acid copolymers. PVA hydrogels adhered to each other following the electrophoretic manipulation of poly(3-methacrylamidophenylboronic acid-co-N,N-dimethylacrylamide) copolymers at the interface of the PVA hydro gels. The adhered PVA interface was stable under the physiological conditions, but detachment was observed in the presence of an excess amount of sugar and acid. Detached gels re-adhered under the same conditions, indicating that the adhesion of the hydrogels exhibits repeatability. The electrophoretic adhesion of PVA and related hydrogels may be useful in the field of tissue engineering for the development of on-demand 3D scaffolds.