New ‘Smart’ Material Has Potential Biomedical Applications

Researchers have shown a way to use graphene oxide (GO) to add some backbone to hydrogel materials made from alginate, a natural material derived from seaweed that is currently used in a variety of biomedical applications. They use a 3D printing method for making intricate and durable alginate-GO structures that are far stiffer and more fracture resistant that alginate alone.