Abstract

Biomedical applications require substrata that allow for the grafting, colonization and control
of eukaryotic cells. Currently available materials are often limited by insufficient possibilities
for the integration of biological functions and means for tuning the mechanical properties. We
report on tailorable nanocomposite materials in which silica nanoparticles are interwoven
with carbon nanotubes by DNA polymerization. The modular, well controllable and scalable
synthesis yields materials whose composition can be gradually adjusted to produce synergistic,
non-linear mechanical stiffness and viscosity properties. The materials were exploited
as substrata that outperform conventional culture surfaces in the ability to control cellular
adhesion, proliferation and transmigration through the hydrogel matrix. The composite
materials also enable the construction of layered cell architectures, the expansion of
embryonic stem cells by simplified cultivation methods and the on-demand release of uniformly
sized stem cell spheroids.

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