Peptide-reinforced photocrosslinkable PEG-based hydrogels

Russell, Sam and Jang, Daseul and Thomas, Jessica and Grysan, Patrick and Sprandl, Linus and Biesalski, Markus and Korley, LaShanda T.J. and Bruns, Nico (2026) Peptide-reinforced photocrosslinkable PEG-based hydrogels. RSC Applied Polymers. ISSN 2755-371X (https://doi.org/10.1039/D5LP00335K)

Preview

Text. Filename: Russell-etal-RSCAP-2026-Peptide-reinforced-photocrosslinkable-PEG-based-hydrogels.pdf Final Published Version License: Download (3MB)| Preview

Abstract

Hydrogels are polymer networks that swell in aqueous solvents. These materials have applications in many fields, including drug delivery, tissue engineering, and soft robotics. For example, polyethylene glycol (PEG) diacrylate is often used as a light-curable crosslinker for the synthesis of PEG-based hydrogels, e.g., in bioinks for 3D printing. However, a common limitation of PEG hydrogels is their typically poor mechanical properties, particularly when in a swollen state. The mechanical strength of natural polymeric materials, such as spider silk and collagen, arises from the formation of hierarchical secondary protein structures that unfold under mechanical load. Here, we present a bio-inspired approach to reinforcing PEG-based hydrogels that mimics these hierarchical structures by incorporating poly(β-benzyl-L-aspartate) (PBLA) blocks between cross-linking end groups and PEG chain segments. We used this peptide-containing crosslinker in combination with a small hydrophilic comonomer, 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, to synthesise PHEA-linked by-(PBLA-b-PEG-b-PBLA) co-networks with tailored compositions, yielding improved and tailorable mechanical properties. This approach affords hydrogels with increased strength and toughness while retaining the networks’ swelling ability. This research presents a promising avenue for developing robust photocrosslinkable hydrogels with broad practical applications.

ORCID iDs

Bruns, Nico ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6199-9995

• Share and Export
  

  Data Cite XMLRDF+XMLOpenURL ContextObjectReferRDF+N3RIS (EndNote Online, Zotero, Ref manager, etc)OpenURL ContextObject in SpanHTML CitationMultiline CSVEndNoteRDF+N-TriplesMPEG-21 DIDLEP3 XMLDublin CoreASCII CitationMETSSimple MetadataBibTeXRefWorksMODSRIOXX2 XMLAtomJSON
• Item metadata

  Item type:	Article
  ID code:	95420
  Dates:	Date Event 5 January 2026 Published 5 January 2026 Published Online 30 December 2025 Accepted
  Subjects:	Science > Chemistry
  Department:	Faculty of Science > Pure and Applied Chemistry
  Depositing user:	Pure Administrator
  Date deposited:	28 Jan 2026 15:38
  Last modified:	16 Feb 2026 09:06
  URI:	https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/95420