title: Unconventional Tough Double-Network Hydrogels with Rapid Mechanical Recovery, Self-Healing, and Self-Gluing Properties.
abstract: Hydrogels are polymeric materials that have a relatively high capacity for holding water. Recently, a double network (DN) technique was developed to fabricate hydrogels with a toughness comparable to rubber. The mechanical properties of DN hydrogels may be attributed to the brittle sacrificial bonding network of one hydrogel, facilitating stress dispersion, combined with ductile polymer chains of a second hydrogel. Herein, we report a novel class of tunable DN hydrogels composed of a polyurethane hydrogel and a stronger, dipole-dipole and H-bonding interaction reinforced (DHIR) hydrogel. Compared to conventional DN hydrogels, these materials show remarkable improvements in mechanical recovery, modulus, and yielding, with excellent self-healing and self-gluing properties. In addition, the new DN hydrogels exhibit excellent tensile and compression strengths and possess shape-memory properties, which make them promising for applications in engineering, biomedicine, and other domains where load bearing is required.
authors: School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, Shanghai Jiao Tong University , Dongchuan Road No. 800, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors: Haiyan
authors: H
authors: Jia
authors: School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, Shanghai Jiao Tong University , Dongchuan Road No. 800, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors: Zhangjun
authors: Z
authors: Huang
authors: Institut des Sciences et Ingénierie Chimiques, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne , CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors: Zhaofu
authors: Z
authors: Fei
authors: Institut des Sciences et Ingénierie Chimiques, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne , CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors: Paul J
authors: PJ
authors: Dyson
authors: School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, Shanghai Jiao Tong University , Dongchuan Road No. 800, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors: Zhen
authors: Z
authors: Zheng
authors: School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, Shanghai Jiao Tong University , Dongchuan Road No. 800, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors: Xinling
authors: X
authors: Wang
keywords: double-networks; hydrogels; materials; mechanical recovery; polymers; self-gluing; self-healing; shape memory