Biomimetic Mechanically Robust Chiroptical Hydrogel Enabled by Hierarchical Bouligand Structure Engineering

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biomimetics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Natural bouligand structures in exoskeletons and fruits offer combined mechanical robustness and chiroptical properties.
• Synthetic hydrogels struggle to integrate high strength, stiffness, toughness, and photonic functionalities simultaneously.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an ultrarobust chiroptical hydrogel using a biomimetic strategy.
• To mimic natural bouligand structures across multiple length scales for enhanced material properties.

Main Methods:

• Hierarchical structural engineering of cellulose nanocrystals and poly(vinyl alcohol) nanocrystalline domains.
• Utilizing dynamic interfacial interactions to achieve synergistic material properties.
• Localized manipulation of photonic bands for integrated chiroptical and solvent-responsive patterns.

Main Results:

• The hydrogel exhibits high strength (23.3 MPa), modulus (264 MPa), and toughness (54.7 MJ m⁻³), exceeding natural and synthetic counterparts.
• Extraordinary impact resistance and integrated, high-resolution chiroptical and solvent-responsive patterns were achieved.
• The material maintains good ionic conductivity alongside its mechanical and photonic performance.

Conclusions:

• A biomimetic strategy successfully created an ultrarobust chiroptical hydrogel with a unique combination of mechanical and photonic properties.
• The developed hydrogel demonstrates significant potential for applications in wearable sensors, encryption, displays, and soft robotics.