In Situ Forming, Cytocompatible, and Self-Recoverable Tough Hydrogels Based on Dual Ionic and Click Cross-Linked...

A dual cross-linking strategy was developed to answer the urgent need for fatigue-resistant, cytocompatible, and in situ forming tough hydrogels. Clickable, yet calcium-binding derivatives of alginate were synthesized by partial substitution of its carboxyl functionalities with furan, which could come into Diels-Alder click reaction with maleimide end groups of a four arm poly(ethylene glycol) cross-linker. Tuning the cooperative viscoelastic action of transient ionic and permanent click cross-links within the single network of alginate provided a soft tough hydrogel with a set of interesting features: (i) immediate self-recovery under cyclic loading, (ii) highly efficient and autonomous self-healing upon fracture, (iii) in situ forming ability for molding and minimally invasive injection, (iv) capability for viable cell encapsulation, and (v) reactivity for on-demand biomolecule conjugation. The facile strategy is applicable to a wide range of natural and synthetic polymers by introducing the calcium binding and click reacting functional groups and can broaden the use of tough hydrogels in load-bearing, cell-laden applications such as soft tissue engineering and bioactuators.