Thermosensitive PCEC hydrogel loaded with carbon nanotubes for slow-release lubrication effect

Injectable hydrogel provides a new advance on lubrication of artificial joints due to its in situ forming property and long-term release effect. The adaptability improvement of the injectable hydrogel is crucial for its successful application in joint prostheses without weakening its injectable performance. In this paper, we reported a thermosensitive poly(ε-caprolactone)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCEC) hydrogel embedded with carbon nanotubes (CNT) to improve its shear resistance and strain resistance. The phase-transition test demonstrated that the temperature range at the gel state for the PCEC/CNT hydrogel is higher than that of PCEC hydrogel under identical condition. We also demonstrated the CNT enhance the viscoelasticity of the thermosensitive PCEC hydrogel under the premise of retaining the effective slow-release behavior of bull serum albumin. The PCEC/CNT composite hydrogel has excellent slow-release and release-lubrication effects while maintaining its injectability. Consequently, it shows a promising application prospect as an injectable carrier, which provides slow-release lubrication effect on artificial joints.