Redox-responsive self-healing materials formed from host-guest polymers.
Expanding the useful lifespan of materials is becoming highly desirable, and self-healing and self-repairing materials may become valuable commodities. The formation of supramolecular materials through host-guest interactions is a powerful method to create non-conventional materials. Here we report the formation of supramolecular hydrogels and their redox-responsive and self-healing properties due to host-guest interactions. We employ cyclodextrin (CD) as a host molecule because it is environmentally benign and has diverse applications. A transparent supramolecular hydrogel quickly forms upon mixing poly(acrylic acid) (pAA) possessing β-CD as a host polymer with pAA possessing ferrocene as a guest polymer. Redox stimuli induce a sol-gel phase transition in the supramolecular hydrogel and can control self-healing properties such as re-adhesion between cut surfaces.
Department of Macromolecular Science, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Machikaneyama 1-1, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, Japan.
Masaki
M
Nakahata
Yoshinori
Y
Takashima
Hiroyasu
H
Yamaguchi
Akira
A
Harada