Conclusion
An analytical model is developed to quantitatively design artificial ECM gels that exhibit thermosensitive and reversible shrinking above body temperature. The modeling is based on the mean-field thermodynamic theory by Flory-Huggins-Rehner, from which an explicit equation is derived to include tunable parameters on the gel structure and elasticity, chemical composition of the gel matrix, and molecular conformation of the biopolymers. It is revealed that the temperature range of volume phase transition is (1) primarily a function of the doping ratio of thermoresponsive polymer in the hybrid matrix, and is (2) sensitive to the Flory-Huggins interaction parameter between the biopolymer and water. This model can be a simple and robust tool for precisely designing intelligent tissue-like hydrogel materials and devices.