Highly tough and fast recoverable double network hydrogels
ORAL
Abstract
Hydrogels consist of a three-dimensional network structure and represent a class of wet and soft materials. It is well known that double network hydrogels exhibit excellent mechanical properties, offering potential applications not only in articular cartilage. Articular cartilage is a dense connective tissue of collagen fibers constituting a semi-circular frame combined with the bone. Here, we demonstrate a simple strategy to synthesize the CS-g-PAA/PEI-0.10 double network hydrogels, with varying contents of ethylene imine polymer (PEI) in the chitosan /acrylic acid (CS/AA) solution. The environmental SEM imaging reveals that the CS-g-PAA/PEI-0.10 double network hydrogels have the homogeneous porous network and the excellent mechanical properties under compression. The underlying mechanism is that the second network acts as the sacrificial network to make the first network rapidly recoverable, allowing the compressive stress to fast release in seconds. These favorable mechanical properties enable the high application potentials in articular cartilage.
*This work was supported by the National Key Research Program of China (No. 2016YFA0300101) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51431006, 11374147, 11234005, 11504048 and 11774106)
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Presenters
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Yongqiang Li
- Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University
- Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and Innovative Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China