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Yang Y, Xiao Y, Wu X, Deng J, Wei R, Liu A, Chai H, Wang R. Microgel-Crosslinked Thermo-Responsive Hydrogel Actuators with High Mechanical Properties and Rapid Response. Macromol Rapid Commun 2024; 45:e2300643. [PMID: 38225681 DOI: 10.1002/marc.202300643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
Smart hydrogels responsive to external stimuli are promising for various applications such as soft robotics and smart devices. High mechanical strength and fast response rate are particularly important for the construction of hydrogel actuators. Herein, tough hydrogels with rapid response rates are synthesized using vinyl-functionalized poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) microgels as macro-crosslinkers and N-isopropylacrylamide as monomers. The compression strength of the obtained PNIPAM hydrogels is up to 7.13 MPa. The response rate of the microgel-crosslinked hydrogels is significantly enhanced compared with conventional chemically crosslinked PNIPAM hydrogels. The mechanical strength and response rate of hydrogels can be adjusted by varying the proportion of monomers and crosslinkers. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the PNIPAM hydrogels could be tuned by copolymerizing with ionic monomer sodium methacrylate. Thermo-responsive bilayer hydrogels are fabricated using PINPAM hydrogels with different LCSTs via a layer-by-layer method. The thermo-responsive fast swelling and shrinking properties of the two layers endow the bilayer hydrogel with anisotropic structures and asymmetric response characteristics, allowing the hydrogel to respond rapidly. The bilayer hydrogels are fabricated into clamps to grab small objects and flowers that mimicked the closure of petals, and it shows great application prospects in the field of actuators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyu Yang
- Cixi Biomedical Research Institute, Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang, 315300, P. R. China
- Zhejiang International Scientific and Technological Cooperative Base of Biomedical Materials and Technology, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, P. R. China
- Ningbo Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo, 315300, P. R. China
| | - Ying Xiao
- Zhejiang International Scientific and Technological Cooperative Base of Biomedical Materials and Technology, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, P. R. China
- Ningbo Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo, 315300, P. R. China
| | - Xiang Wu
- Ningbo Medical Center Li Huili Hospital, Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315000, P. R. China
| | - Junjie Deng
- Cixi Biomedical Research Institute, Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang, 315300, P. R. China
- Zhejiang International Scientific and Technological Cooperative Base of Biomedical Materials and Technology, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, P. R. China
- Ningbo Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo, 315300, P. R. China
| | - Rufang Wei
- Cixi Biomedical Research Institute, Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang, 315300, P. R. China
- Zhejiang International Scientific and Technological Cooperative Base of Biomedical Materials and Technology, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, P. R. China
- Ningbo Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo, 315300, P. R. China
| | - Ashuang Liu
- Cixi Biomedical Research Institute, Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang, 315300, P. R. China
- Zhejiang International Scientific and Technological Cooperative Base of Biomedical Materials and Technology, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, P. R. China
- Ningbo Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo, 315300, P. R. China
| | - Haiyang Chai
- Cixi Biomedical Research Institute, Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang, 315300, P. R. China
- Zhejiang International Scientific and Technological Cooperative Base of Biomedical Materials and Technology, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, P. R. China
- Ningbo Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo, 315300, P. R. China
| | - Rong Wang
- Cixi Biomedical Research Institute, Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang, 315300, P. R. China
- Zhejiang International Scientific and Technological Cooperative Base of Biomedical Materials and Technology, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, P. R. China
- Ningbo Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo, 315300, P. R. China
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Bujok S, Konefał R, Nevoralová M, Bednarz S, Mielczarek K, Beneš H. Cation identity in clay-polyelectrolyte self-assembled hydrogels: Rheological and NMR study of the polyitaconate-counterion interactions. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2022.130346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Self-Healing and Super-Elastomeric PolyMEA-co-SMA Nanocomposites Crosslinked by Clay Platelets. Gels 2022; 8:gels8100657. [PMID: 36286158 PMCID: PMC9601507 DOI: 10.3390/gels8100657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Novel solvent-free ultra-extensible, tough, and self-healing nanocomposite elastomers were synthesized. The self-assembled materials were based on the copolymer matrix poly(methoxyethyl acrylate-co-sodium methacrylate) physically crosslinked by clay nano-platelets (‘poly[MEA-co-SMA]/clay’). Depending on the content of SMA, the super-elastomers were predominantly hydrophobic, water-swelling, or fully water-soluble, and hence repeatedly processible. The SMA co-monomer introduces a tremendous increase in tensile strength, an increase in toughness, while ultra-extensibility is preserved. By tuning the contents of nano-clay and SMA co-monomer, a very wide range of product properties was achieved, including extreme ultra-extensibility, or high stiffness combined with more moderate super-extensibility, or very different values of tensile strength. There was very attractive, great improvement in autonomous self-healing ability induced by SMA, combined with tremendously enhanced self-recovery of internal mechanical damage: even complete self-recovery could be achieved. The ionic SMA repeat units were found to assemble to multiplets, which are phase-separated in the hydrophobic polyMEA matrix. The dynamics of SMA-units-hopping between these aggregates was of key importance for the mechanical, visco-elastic, tensile, and self-healing properties. The studied super-elastomers are attractive as advanced self-healing materials in engineering, soft robotics, and in medical or implant applications.
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