Effect and Evolution of Nanostructural Complexity in Sensitive Polymer Gels

Sulfobetaine Hydrogels with a Complex Multilength-Scale Hierarchical Structure

Hydrogels with a hierarchical structure were prepared from a new highly water-soluble crosslinker N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-N,N'-bis(2-ethylmethacrylate)-propyl-1,3-diammonium dibromide and from the sulfobetaine monomer 2-(N-3-sulfopropyl-N,N-dimethyl ammonium)ethyl methacrylate. The free radical polymerization of the two compounds is rapid and yields near-transparent hydrogels with sizes up to 5 cm in diameter. Rheology shows a clear correlation between the monomer-to-crosslinker ratio and the storage and loss moduli of the hydrogels. Cryo-scanning electron microscopy, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and small-angle X-ray scattering show that the gels have a hierarchical structure with features spanning the nanometer to the sub-millimeter scale. The NMR study is challenged by the marked inhomogeneity of the gels and the complex chemical structure of the sulfobetaine monomer. NMR spectroscopy shows how these complications can be addressed via a novel fitting approach that considers the mobility gradient along the side chain of methacrylate-based monomers.

Controlled Light Cross-Linking Technique to Prepare Healable Materials

Detection of defects, damages and cracks in structural polymers is very difficult, and even if they are detected, they will be very hard to be repaired. This is because different kinds of stress can reduce the mechanical efficiency of structural and functional thermosetting composite materials and they can damage the polymer matrix, thus reducing the purposed properties. General healing processes use thermal energy “alone” to heal these materials, thus impairing the intended properties of the materials. Therefore, we present a thermal healing ability that can be switched-on and/or -off at desire using illumination by photon energy (visible and ultra violet). By this technique, one can control local heal while keeping the efficiency of the material nearly unchanged. Furan-based cross-linker chemically reacts (forward- and reverse-reaction) with short-chains of maleimide-substituted poly(lauryl methacrylate) to form robust chemical bonds. This permits us to perform local control over thermally induced de- and/or re-cross-linking techniques. One can extend and apply this technique to cover micro-devices, coating-techniques, fine lithography, micro- and nano-fabrication processes, etc. Therefore, the present work developed a suitable technology with structural polymeric material, which has the ability to self-heal cracks (and damages) and recover structural function.

Multifunctional Hydrogels with Reversible 3D Ordered Macroporous Structures

Three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) hydrogels prepared by colloidal crystals templating display highly reversible shape memory properties, as confirmed by indirect electron microscopy imaging of their inverse replicas and direct nanoscale resolution X-ray microscopy imaging of the hydrated hydrogels. Modifications of functional groups in the 3DOM hydrogels result in various materials with programmed properties for a wide range of applications.