Hydrogels are a class of synthetic biomaterials composed of a polymer network that swells with water and as such they have both an elastic and viscous component making them ideal for soft tissue applications. This study characterizes the compressive, tensile, and shear properties of a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) hydrogel and compares the results to published literature values for soft tissues such as articular cartilage, the knee meniscus, and intervertebral disc components. The results show the TPE hydrogel material is viscoelastic, strain rate dependent, has similar surface and bulk properties, displays minimal damping under dynamic load, and has tension-compression asymmetry. When compared to other soft tissues it has a comparable equilibrium compressive modulus of approximately 0.5 MPa and shear modulus of 0.2 MPa. With a tensile modulus of only 0.2 MPa though, the TPE hydrogel is inferior in tension to most collagen based soft tissues. Additional steps may be necessary to reinforce the hydrogel system and increase tensile modulus depending on the desired soft tissue application. It can be concluded that this material could be a viable option for soft tissue replacements.

水凝胶是一类合成生物材料，由水溶胀的聚合物网络组成，因此它们既具有弹性又具有粘性，因此非常适合软组织应用。这项研究表征了热塑性弹性体（TPE）水凝胶的压缩，拉伸和剪切特性，并将结果与​​软组织（如关节软骨，膝半月板和椎间盘组件）的已发表文献值进行了比较。结果表明，TPE水凝胶材料是粘弹性的，与应变率有关，具有相似的表面和体积特性，在动态载荷下显示最小的阻尼，并且具有拉伸-压缩不对称性。与其他软组织相比，它的可比平衡压缩模量约为0.5 MPa，剪切模量为0.2 MPa。但是，由于TPE水凝胶的拉伸模量仅为0.2 MPa，因此其拉伸力不如大多数基于胶原的软组织。根据所需的软组织应用，可能需要其他步骤来增强水凝胶系统并增加拉伸模量。可以得出结论，这种材料可能是软组织替代的可行选择。