Novel hydrogels with excellent mechanical performance

Three kinds of novel hydrogels with excellent mechanical performance have been developed, based on different concepts. Two of them exhibit high resistance to extension, up to 10-20 times the original length, by introducing special cross-linking structures. The third has a high modulus (sub-megapascal), with a failure compressive stress as high as 20 MPa, through a double network structure. In this article, we describe the structural and mechanical features of these gels, and the status of current studies (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.