Other members of the research team included biomedical engineering PhD student Ms Rashi Walia.

“Hydrogels are highly attractive for tissue engineering because of their functional and structural similarity to human body soft tissue,” said Ms Walia.

She carried out the research in collaboration with researchers from the University of Sydney’s School of Physics and School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, as well as Tufts University in Massachusetts, USA.

“Our group’s unique plasma process, recently reported in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, enables us to activate all surfaces of complex, porous structures, such as scaffolds, to covalently attach biomolecules and hydrogels”, said ARC Laureate and biomedical engineering academic, Professor Marcela Bilek.

“These advances enable the creation of mechanically robust complex-shaped polymeric scaffolds infused with hydrogel, bringing us a step closer to mimicking the characteristics of natural tissues within the body.

“The plasma process is carried out in a single step, generates zero waste, and does not require additional chemicals that can be harmful to the environment.”

Biomedical devices, organ implants, biosensors and tissue engineering scaffolds that are set to benefit from the new hydrogel technology.

“There are several scenarios in which this technology can be used. The gel could be loaded with a drug to release slowly over time, or it can be used to mimic structures such as bone-cartilage,” said Dr Akhavan.

“These materials are also excellent candidates for applications such as lab-on-a-chip platforms, bioreactors that mimic organs, and biomimetic constructs for tissue repair as well as antifouling coatings for surfaces submerged in marine environments.”

The research tested the material using biomolecules found in the body, which demonstrated a positive cellular response.

Dr Akhavan and the team will be progressing their area of research and will further develop the technology to combine hydrogels with non-polymeric solid materials, such as ceramics and metals.