Properties and Structure of Cellulose Nanocrystal Hydrogels for Potential Applications as Three-dimensional Artificial Extracellular Matrices

This thesis describes the preparation of hydrogels of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) into environments that would support the growth of cells either by (i) adding Hank's Balanced Salt Solution to CNC suspensions to induce gelation or (ii) by modifying the surface of CNCs with a thermoresponsive polymer to stimulate gelation in situ. Fibroblast cells were grown within suspensions of CNCs of varying concentrations and the mechanical properties and structure of the resulting suspensions were examined. The viability of the cells cultured within the cellulose nanocrystal matrix was evaluated using two spectroscopic techniques: UV-Vis absorption and fluorescence confocal microscopy. The synthesis of thermoresponsive CNCs was conducted via an atom-transfer radical-polymerization-based living radical polymerization. The thermoresponsive polymers, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-polyethylene glycol methacrylate) were polymerized from the surface of initiator-modified CNCs. The resulting polymer was characterized by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance and dynamic light scattering.M.Sc