Self-healable mussel-mimetic nanocomposite hydrogel based on catechol-containing polyaspartamide and graphene oxide.
Stimuli-responsive and self-healing materials have a wide range of potential uses, and some significant research has focused on cross-linking of hydrogel materials by means of reversible coordination bonding. The resulting materials, however, tend to have poor mechanical properties with pronounced weakness and brittleness. In this work, we present a novel mussel-inspired graphene oxide(GO)-containing hydrogel based on modified polyaspartamide with γ-amino butyric acid (GABA), 3.4-dihydroxyphenethylamine (DOPA), and ethanolamine (EA), termed PolyAspAm(GABA/DOPA/EA). Here both GO nanosheets and boric acid (H3BO3) act as cross-linkers, interacting with polar functional groups of the PolyAspAm(GABA/DOPA/EA). Compared to PolyAspAm(GABA/DOPA/EA)/B(3+) gel without GO, the same containing 5wt% of GO yielded a 10-fold increase in both the storage and loss moduli, as well as 134% and 104% increases in the tensile and compressive strengths, respectively. In addition, the GO-containing polyaspartamide hydrogel exhibited rapid and autonomous self-healing property. Two types of bonding, boron-catechol coordination and strong hydrogen bonding interactions between PolyAspAm side chains and GO nanosheets, would impart the enhanced mechanical strength and good reversible gelation behavior upon pH stimulation to the hydrogel, making this biocompatible hydrogel a promising soft matter for biomedical applications.
School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746, Republic of Korea.
Bo
B
Wang
School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746, Republic of Korea.
Young Sil
YS
Jeon
School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746, Republic of Korea.
Ho Seok
HS
Park
School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: kimjh@skku.edu.
Ji-Heung
JH
Kim
D040761:Biomimetic Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D002396:Catechols / Q000737:chemistry*; D019245:Compressive Strength; D006108:Graphite / Q000737:chemistry*; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate / Q000737:chemistry*; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry*; D010087:Oxides / Q000737:chemistry; D056951:Photoelectron Spectroscopy; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012212:Rheology; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013718:Tensile Strength; D013818:Thermogravimetry; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
D002396:Catechols; D010087:Oxides; D011108:Polymers; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate; D006108:Graphite; C034221:catechol