Journal
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
Volume 10, Issue 46, Pages 40238-40245Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b12886
Keywords
mimicry; self-healing; micelle cross-linking; tough material; hydrogel-elastomer
Funding
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [51573187, 51373174]
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering [sklpme2017-2-05]
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Inspired by the functions of leeches, for the first time homogeneous materials integrating hydrogels and elastomers were achieved by free radical polymerization. 2-Methoxyethyl acrylate (MEA) was used as elastomer monomer and Pluronics functionalized with vinyl groups acted as cross-linkers to impart the hydrogel property to the materials. The resulting Pluronic/PMEA gels possess a swelling ratio of about 210% and good water-retaining ability. Compression tests of Pluronic/PMEA gels at swelling equilibrium state show a stress up to 1.6 MPa under 85% strain. The gels act as elastomer after dehydration. Uniaxial tensile fracture stress and the elongation reached 1200 kPa and 500%, respectively, and compression stress was above 22 MPa. Furthermore, the Pluronic/PMEA gels also show self-healing properties. Owing to the excellent mechanical performance in both wet and dry conditions, this hydrogel-elastomer integrated material may have potential applications in tissue engineering, soft robotics, and biomedical devices.
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