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Tough Stretchable Physically-Cross-linked Electrospun Hydrogel Fiber Mats
Yiming Yang1, Chao Wang1, Clinton G Wiener1
1Department of Polymer Engineering, University of Akron , 250 South Forge Street, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|August 23, 2016
Summary
Researchers created tough, extensible hydrogels using electrospun copolymers. These materials mimic nature's hierarchical structures, offering high water content and enhanced properties for advanced applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Supramolecular Chemistry
Background:
- Nature utilizes supramolecular interactions and hierarchical structures to create advanced water-rich materials.
- Synthetic systems often struggle to replicate the unique property combinations found in natural hydrogels.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop hierarchical supramolecular hydrogels using electrospun copolymers.
- To achieve unprecedented elongation and toughness in high-porosity hydrogel materials.
Main Methods:
- Electrospinning of self-associated copolymers composed of dimethyl acrylamide and 2-(N-ethylperfluorooctane sulfonamido)ethyl methacrylate (FOSM).
- Utilizing hydrophobic association of perfluoronated comonomers to form physical cross-links.
- Comparing the properties of electrospun hydrogel fiber mats with compression-molded bulk hydrogels.
Main Results:
- Hierarchical supramolecular hydrogels with remarkable elongation and toughness were fabricated.
- Hydrogel fiber mats exhibited enhanced toughness compared to bulk hydrogels, attributed to a narrower distribution of hydrophobic aggregates.
- The electrospun hydrogel fiber mats showed more than double the extensibility of bulk hydrogels with comparable modulus, despite higher porosity and water content.
Conclusions:
- Electrospun, self-associated copolymers offer a viable route to hierarchical supramolecular hydrogels.
- Tailoring hydrophobic aggregate size distribution is crucial for enhancing hydrogel toughness.
- These novel hydrogels present a promising platform for applications requiring high water content, toughness, and extensibility.
