{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,13]],"date-time":"2025-11-13T18:39:52Z","timestamp":1763059192821,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":98,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,3]],"date-time":"2024-08-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1722643200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e a Tecnologia","award":["PD\/BD\/128140\/2016","SFRH\/BD\/145423\/2019","PTDC\/CTM-CTM\/29593\/2017","10.54499\/UIDB\/00100\/2020","10.54499\/UIDB\/50022\/2020","10.54499\/UIDB\/04585\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PD\/BD\/128140\/2016","SFRH\/BD\/145423\/2019","PTDC\/CTM-CTM\/29593\/2017","10.54499\/UIDB\/00100\/2020","10.54499\/UIDB\/50022\/2020","10.54499\/UIDB\/04585\/2020"]}]},{"name":"FEDER","award":["PD\/BD\/128140\/2016","SFRH\/BD\/145423\/2019","PTDC\/CTM-CTM\/29593\/2017","10.54499\/UIDB\/00100\/2020","10.54499\/UIDB\/50022\/2020","10.54499\/UIDB\/04585\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PD\/BD\/128140\/2016","SFRH\/BD\/145423\/2019","PTDC\/CTM-CTM\/29593\/2017","10.54499\/UIDB\/00100\/2020","10.54499\/UIDB\/50022\/2020","10.54499\/UIDB\/04585\/2020"]}]},{"name":"CQE","award":["PD\/BD\/128140\/2016","SFRH\/BD\/145423\/2019","PTDC\/CTM-CTM\/29593\/2017","10.54499\/UIDB\/00100\/2020","10.54499\/UIDB\/50022\/2020","10.54499\/UIDB\/04585\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PD\/BD\/128140\/2016","SFRH\/BD\/145423\/2019","PTDC\/CTM-CTM\/29593\/2017","10.54499\/UIDB\/00100\/2020","10.54499\/UIDB\/50022\/2020","10.54499\/UIDB\/04585\/2020"]}]},{"name":"IDMEC\/LAETA","award":["PD\/BD\/128140\/2016","SFRH\/BD\/145423\/2019","PTDC\/CTM-CTM\/29593\/2017","10.54499\/UIDB\/00100\/2020","10.54499\/UIDB\/50022\/2020","10.54499\/UIDB\/04585\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PD\/BD\/128140\/2016","SFRH\/BD\/145423\/2019","PTDC\/CTM-CTM\/29593\/2017","10.54499\/UIDB\/00100\/2020","10.54499\/UIDB\/50022\/2020","10.54499\/UIDB\/04585\/2020"]}]},{"name":"CiiEM","award":["PD\/BD\/128140\/2016","SFRH\/BD\/145423\/2019","PTDC\/CTM-CTM\/29593\/2017","10.54499\/UIDB\/00100\/2020","10.54499\/UIDB\/50022\/2020","10.54499\/UIDB\/04585\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PD\/BD\/128140\/2016","SFRH\/BD\/145423\/2019","PTDC\/CTM-CTM\/29593\/2017","10.54499\/UIDB\/00100\/2020","10.54499\/UIDB\/50022\/2020","10.54499\/UIDB\/04585\/2020"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Gels"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Due to the increasing prevalence of articular cartilage diseases and limitations faced by current therapeutic methodologies, there is an unmet need for new materials to replace damaged cartilage. In this work, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels were reinforced with different amounts of Nomex\u00ae (known for its high mechanical toughness, flexibility, and resilience) and sterilized by gamma irradiation. Samples were studied concerning morphology, chemical structure, thermal behavior, water content, wettability, mechanical properties, and rheological and tribological behavior. Overall, it was found that the incorporation of aramid nanostructures improved the hydrogel\u2019s mechanical performance, likely due to the reinforcement\u2019s intrinsic strength and hydrogen bonding to PVA chains. Additionally, the sterilization of the materials also led to superior mechanical properties, possibly related to the increased crosslinking density through the hydrogen bonding caused by the irradiation. The water content, wettability, and tribological performance of PVA hydrogels were not compromised by either the reinforcement or the sterilization process. The best-performing composite, containing 1.5% wt. of Nomex\u00ae, did not induce cytotoxicity in human chondrocytes. Plugs of this hydrogel were inserted in porcine femoral heads and tested in an anatomical hip simulator. No significant changes were observed in the hydrogel or cartilage, demonstrating the material\u2019s potential to be used in cartilage replacement.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/gels10080514","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,5]],"date-time":"2024-08-05T13:57:28Z","timestamp":1722866248000},"page":"514","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Tribomechanical Properties of PVA\/Nomex\u00ae Composite Hydrogels for Articular Cartilage Repair"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4700-0476","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francisco","family":"Santos","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Qu\u00edmica Estrutural (CQE), Institute of Molecular Sciences, Department of Chemical Engineering, Instituto Superior T\u00e9cnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1039-7203","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carolina","family":"Marto-Costa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Qu\u00edmica Estrutural (CQE), Institute of Molecular Sciences, Department of Chemical Engineering, Instituto Superior T\u00e9cnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"Egas Moniz Center for Interdisciplinary Research (CiiEM), Egas Moniz School of Health & Science, Monte da Caparica, 2829-511 Almada, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Ana Catarina","family":"Branco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Qu\u00edmica Estrutural (CQE), Institute of Molecular Sciences, Department of Chemical Engineering, Instituto Superior T\u00e9cnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"Egas Moniz Center for Interdisciplinary Research (CiiEM), Egas Moniz School of Health & Science, Monte da Caparica, 2829-511 Almada, Portugal"},{"name":"Escola Superior de Tecnologia de Set\u00fabal, Instituto Polit\u00e9cnico de Set\u00fabal, 2910-761 Set\u00fabal, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6621-8625","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andreia Sofia","family":"Oliveira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Qu\u00edmica Estrutural (CQE), Institute of Molecular Sciences, Department of Chemical Engineering, Instituto Superior T\u00e9cnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"Egas Moniz Center for Interdisciplinary Research (CiiEM), Egas Moniz School of Health & Science, Monte da Caparica, 2829-511 Almada, Portugal"},{"name":"Instituto de Engenharia Mec\u00e2nica (IDMEC), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Instituto Superior T\u00e9cnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6738-0672","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rui","family":"Galhano dos Santos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CERENA\u2014Centre for Natural Resources and the Environment, Instituto Superior T\u00e9cnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5668-6705","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Madalena","family":"Salema-Oom","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Egas Moniz Center for Interdisciplinary Research (CiiEM), Egas Moniz School of Health & Science, Monte da Caparica, 2829-511 Almada, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2595-1390","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Roberto Leonardo","family":"Diaz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds, Woodhouse, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6963-965X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sophie","family":"Williams","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds, Woodhouse, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5529-1621","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rog\u00e9rio","family":"Cola\u00e7o","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Engenharia Mec\u00e2nica (IDMEC), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Instituto Superior T\u00e9cnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal"}]},{"given":"C\u00e9lio","family":"Figueiredo-Pina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Egas Moniz Center for Interdisciplinary Research (CiiEM), Egas Moniz School of Health & Science, Monte da Caparica, 2829-511 Almada, Portugal"},{"name":"Escola Superior de Tecnologia de Set\u00fabal, Instituto Polit\u00e9cnico de Set\u00fabal, 2910-761 Set\u00fabal, Portugal"},{"name":"CeFEMA\u2014Center of Physiscs and Engineering of Advanced Materials, Instituto Superior T\u00e9cnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6179-9296","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ana Paula","family":"Serro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Qu\u00edmica Estrutural (CQE), Institute of Molecular Sciences, Department of Chemical Engineering, Instituto Superior T\u00e9cnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"Egas Moniz Center for Interdisciplinary Research (CiiEM), Egas Moniz School of Health & Science, Monte da Caparica, 2829-511 Almada, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"j3248","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.j3248","article-title":"Diagnosis and early management of inflammatory arthritis","volume":"358","author":"Ledingham","year":"2017","journal-title":"BMJ"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"175","DOI":"10.1243\/13506501JET240","article-title":"Effect of load variation on the friction properties of articular cartilage","volume":"221","author":"Katta","year":"2007","journal-title":"Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng. Part J J. Eng. 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