In Situ Blue-Light-Induced Photocurable and Weavable Hydrogel Filament

A self-lubricating hydrogel filament was achieved by establishing an in situ photocuring system and using camphorquinone/diphenyl iodonium hexafluorophosphate (CQ/DPI) as the blue-light photoinitiators, acrylamide (AM) and N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAA) as the monomers, polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) as the cross-linker, and lecithin as the lipid lubricant. The blue-light photopolymerization efficiency and the photorheological properties of the hydrogel precursor were investigated by photodifferential scanning calorimetry and a photorheological system. With the increase of DMAA, the photopolymerization efficiency of the precursor improved, while the elasticity of poly(DMAA/AM) decreased accordingly. The physical cross-linking effect between lecithin and the poly(DMAA/AM) network led to improved polymerization properties and elasticity. The lipid-based boundary layer at the hydrogel surface endowed the self-lubrication of the hydrogel filament. The extruded hydrogel filaments exhibited excellent mechanical properties and weavability, which were expected to play a realistic role in soft robots and bioengineering.

Automated summary

A self-lubricating hydrogel filament was successfully achieved using a blue-light photopolymerization system with CQ/DPI as photoinitiators, AM/DMAA as monomers, PEGDA as a cross-linker, and lecithin as a lipid lubricant. The physical cross-linking effect between lecithin and the poly(DMAA/AM) network improved the polymerization properties and elasticity, while a lipid-based boundary layer at the hydrogel surface contributed to its self-lubrication. The extruded hydrogel filaments showed excellent mechanical properties and weavability, making them suitable for applications in soft robotics and bioengineering.