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Toughening hydrogels through a multiscale hydrogen bonding network enabled by saccharides for a bio-machine
Yuhang Ye1, Xun Niu2, Kelvin Zheng1
1Sustainable Functional Biomaterials Lab, Department of Wood Science, University of British Columbia, 2900-2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada. feng.jiang@ubc.ca.
Materials Horizons
|December 13, 2024
Summary
This study introduces a novel strategy using sugars to strengthen hydrogels. The enhanced hydrogels show improved mechanical strength, resilience, and potential for use as sensors and in bioelectronic interfaces.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Biomaterials
Background:
- Hydrogels are versatile materials but suffer from poor mechanical properties, limiting their applications.
- Developing robust hydrogels is crucial for advanced technological implementations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To enhance hydrogel mechanical properties using a multiscale hydrogen bonding strategy.
- To explore the potential of these toughened hydrogels as mechano-optical sensors and bioelectronic interfaces.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a multiscale toughening approach with monosaccharide (glucose) and polysaccharide (cellulose nanofibrils).
- Incorporated hydrogen bonding across molecular and nano/micro scales within the hydrogel network.
- Investigated environmental resilience, solvent resistance, and mechano-optical sensing capabilities.
Main Results:
- Achieved significantly enhanced mechanical properties in hydrogels through multiscale hydrogen bonding.
- Demonstrated excellent environmental resilience and resistance to poor solvents.
- Developed alcogels exhibiting strain-dependent interference colors for mechano-optical sensing.
Conclusions:
- The proposed saccharide-based hydrogen bonding strategy effectively enhances hydrogel performance.
- These advanced hydrogels show promise for applications in sensing and bioelectronic interfaces.
- Highlights the potential of sustainable biomaterials in creating high-performance hydrogels.
