title: Photolatently modulable hydrogels using unilamellar titania nanosheets as photocatalytic crosslinkers.
abstract: Hydrogels, postmodulable in controlled time and space domains, attract particular attention due to their potential in bio-related applications. Towards this goal, photolatently reactive hydrogels are very promising. Here we develop photolatently modulable hydrogels, composed of a polymer network accommodating photocatalytic titania nanosheets at every crosslinking point. As titania nanosheets can utilize gelling water as their source of radicals, its long-lasting photocatalysis makes the hydrogels readily modulable. Benefiting from the hydrogelation mechanism, the gel network is finely compartmentalized, leading to sharp thermoresponses. As demonstrated by photo-micropatterning, non-diffusible titania nanosheets at the crosslinking points enable pointwise modulations with an excellent spatial resolution. The photolatent nature also makes it possible to conjugate them with other hydrogels and polymers.
authors.affiliation: RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: Mingjie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ebina
authors.forename: Takayoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Takuzo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aida