A Synthetic Hydrogel Composite with the Mechanical Behavior and Durability of Cartilage

This article reports the first hydrogel with the strength and modulus of cartilage in both tension and compression, and the first to exhibit cartilage‐equivalent tensile fatigue strength at 100 000 cycles. These properties are achieved by infiltrating a bacterial cellulose (BC) nanofiber network with a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)–poly(2‐acrylamido‐2‐methyl‐1‐propanesulfonic acid sodium salt) (PAMPS) double network hydrogel. The BC provides tensile...