Hydrogel-Tissue Adhesion Using Blood Coagulation Induced by Silica Nanoparticle Coatings.

The fixation of hydrogels to biological tissues is a major challenge conditioning the development of implants and surgical techniques. Here, coatings of procoagulant nanoparticles are devised which use the presence of blood to create adhesion between hydrogels and soft internal organs. Those nanostructured coatings are simply adsorbed at the hydrogel surfaces and can rapidly activate the formation of an interfacial blood clot acting as an adhesive joint.