(9d) Understanding the Complex Rheology of Supramolecular Hydrogels for Designing Injectable Drug Delivery Materials
AIChE Annual Meeting
2020
2020 Virtual AIChE Annual Meeting
Materials Engineering and Sciences Division
Biomaterials and Life Sciences Engineering: Faculty Candidates I
Monday, November 16, 2020 - 8:30am to 8:45am
Herein, I present a model for the extrusion of supramolecular hydrogels through high gauge needles to predict and validate corresponding injection pressures. A generalizable engineering design strategy is shown for defining target flow properties. The complex rheological behavior of supramolecular hydrogels at the shear rates relevant for injection will be presented, highlighting the need for comprehensive rheological characterization up to shear rates in the range of 103 â 106 s-1. I will discuss resulting strategies for tuning the solid-like properties of supramolecular hydrogels without compromising their injectability or printability. I show that increasing the concentration and altering the composition of the supramolecular crosslinker has a large impact on the hydrogelâs properties at rest while having minimal impact on the flow properties at shear rates operative during printing and injection. Through the discovery of design rules for supramolecular hydrogels and development of property-function relationships, I hope to create engineering design strategies to accelerate the materials discovery and design process for the next generation of biomaterials for injectable drug delivery and 3D printing.