Highly stretchable and tough alginate-based cyclodextrin/Azo-polyacrylamide interpenetrating network hydrogel with...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Supramolecular Chemistry

Background:

• Self-healing materials are crucial for extending the lifespan of high-performance composites.
• Existing self-healing mechanisms often rely on reversible supramolecular interactions or dynamic covalent bonds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a highly stretchable and tough composite hydrogel with light-triggered self-healing capabilities.
• To investigate the self-healing mechanism based on host-guest interactions.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of an interpenetrating composite hydrogel using alginate-based cyclodextrin and polyacrylamide azobenzene.
• Characterization of structural, thermal, and morphological properties.
• Evaluation of sol-gel reversible transformation under UV and visible light irradiation.

Main Results:

• The synthesized hydrogel exhibited excellent stretchability (1140% elongation) and toughness.
• Self-healing was achieved through host-guest interactions between cyclodextrin and azobenzene.
• The material demonstrated reversible sol-gel transformation upon light irradiation.

Conclusions:

• The developed alginate-based composite hydrogel possesses significant self-healing properties.
• The material maintains high stretchability and toughness, making it suitable for advanced applications.
• Light-triggered reversible host-guest interactions are effective for achieving self-healing in advanced hydrogels.