Adhesive Hydrogel System Based on the Intercalation of Anionic Substituents into Layered Double Hydroxides

Hydrogels comprising anionic substituents in their polymer network were synthesized and adhered to each other following application of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) onto their surfaces. The resulting systems displayed high adhesive strength and tolerance for changes in parameters like solvent, salt concentration, and temperature. In experiments involving hydrogels with bulky anionic substituents, it was confirmed that the efficiency of the intercalation of the anionic groups into the layered inorganic compound LDH determines the strength of the adhesion. Moreover, intercalation-based adhesive joints connecting anionic hydrogels displayed higher tolerance for saline solutions than adhesive joints relying on electrostatic interactions between anionic and cationic hydrogels, even though, because of the electrostatic repulsion between charges with the same sign, one would expect that polymer networks comprising opposite charges would tolerate better the disruption caused by high saline concentration.