title: Skin-inspired hydrogel-elastomer hybrids with robust interfaces and functional microstructures.
abstract: Inspired by mammalian skins, soft hybrids integrating the merits of elastomers and hydrogels have potential applications in diverse areas including stretchable and bio-integrated electronics, microfluidics, tissue engineering, soft robotics and biomedical devices. However, existing hydrogel-elastomer hybrids have limitations such as weak interfacial bonding, low robustness and difficulties in patterning microstructures. Here, we report a simple yet versatile method to assemble hydrogels and elastomers into hybrids with extremely robust interfaces (interfacial toughness over 1,000 Jm(-2)) and functional microstructures such as microfluidic channels and electrical circuits. The proposed method is generally applicable to various types of tough hydrogels and diverse commonly used elastomers including polydimethylsiloxane Sylgard 184, polyurethane, latex, VHB and Ecoflex. We further demonstrate applications enabled by the robust and microstructured hydrogel-elastomer hybrids including anti-dehydration hydrogel-elastomer hybrids, stretchable and reactive hydrogel-elastomer microfluidics, and stretchable hydrogel circuit boards patterned on elastomer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Soft Active Materials Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Hyunwoo
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1710-9750
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yuk
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA.
authors.forename: Teng
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Soft Active Materials Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.|Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: German Alberto
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Parada
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Soft Active Materials Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Xinyue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Soft Active Materials Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.|Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Xuanhe
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D002616:Chemical Engineering; D020724:Elastomers / Q000737:chemistry*; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry*; D008422:Materials Testing; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D020724:Elastomers; D020100:Hydrogels