Light emitting self-healable hydrogel with bio-degradability prepared form pectin and Tetraphenylethylene bearing polymer

Self-healable hydrogel have wide applications in bioscience. In this research, self-healable hydrogel were prepared from TPE-[P(DMA-stat-DAA)](2) and acylhydrazide functionalized pectin. The TPE containing polymer endowed the hydrogel with light emission property while the pectin make the hydrogel biodegradable. Results showed that the pectin acylhydrazide can be prepared conveniently from pectin through hydrazinolysis. Light emissive hydrogels formed and self-healed without additional stimulus. More importantly, the hydrogel become light emitting with PL intensity higher than the polymer solution. The reason for this result is because the TPE units aggregated in the hydrophobic pectin ring and triggered AIE property. With biodegradable pectin, the hydrogel could be degraded naturally without worrying about the toxicity of the hydrogel in future bio-applications.