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Updated: Jun 7, 2025
Printing Thermoresponsive Reverse Molds for the Creation of Patterned Two-component Hydrogels for 3D Cell Culture
Published on: July 10, 2013
A multifunctional and tough lotus root starch-based bio-photonic hydrogel for stretchable fabric pattern color change
Yang Pang1, Zhichuang Qi1, Liangliang Cui1
1Key Laboratory of Textile Science & Technology (Donghua University), Ministry of Education, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China; Key Lab of Science and Technology of Eco-textile, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology, Donghua University, No. 2999 North Renmin Road, Shanghai 201620, China.
Abstract:
Photonic crystal hydrogels (PCHs) are innovative materials that translate imperceptible deformations and humidity changes into visible colors, broadening the applications of photonics in bioengineering and smart materials. To overcome poor mechanical properties of traditional PCHs limited by weak intermolecular forces, we designed a PCH with a dual-network framework comprising N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylamide (NIPAM-co-AM) and biomass lotus root starch (LR). Since LR is rich in hydroxyl groups, it can undergo molecular linkage entanglement with the NIPAM-co-AM hydrogel matrix, forming hydrogen bonds that significantly enhance the mechanical properties of the PCH. We have prepared PCH films capable of conveying multidimensional information about the extent and distribution of transient deformation by encapsulating magnetic photonic crystal microspheres (MPCMs) within a hydrogel matrix. The PCH films were found to have ultrafast response time (< 10 s), full-color tunable range, high spatial resolution, excellent mechanical toughness (tensile up to 0.17 MPa) and sensitivity (2.52 nm %-1), and were able to sense relative humidity (RH) from 11 % to 98 %. Equipped with a dynamically reconfigurable lattice, this dual-responsive (tensile/humidity) PCH not only facilitates the creation of water-rewritable photonic films but also holds promise for integration into structural color elastic fabrics, thereby presenting novel prospects for smart textile applications.
