Spontaneously Self-Regenerative Hybrid Luminescent Hydrogel

Luminescent hydrogels are of immense importance for various applications; however, they often are severely damaged during long-term storage and transportation, which have been the major barriers impeding their further application in the industrial realm. On the other hand, the emerging self-healable materials also suffer from a high dependence on freshness or require external substance assistance or energy imput. We herein for the first time report spontaneously self-regenerative luminescent hydrogels prepared via copolymerization of an acrylamide-lanthanide complex in the presence of a sodium alginate skeleton. The hydrogel-powder-hydrogel regeneration cycles can be repeated for multiple rounds with both mechanical and luminescence properties restored, even long after being ground into powder. This work highlights a simple strategy that can effectively address the long-term storage and transportation obstacles and thus pushes forward the further practical application of luminescent hydrogels in various fields.

Automated summary

This research introduces self-regenerative luminescent hydrogels, prepared through copolymerization of a complex, which can self-heal during long-term storage and transportation, showing great potential for various applications.