Material Chemistry Laboratory, Kawamura Institute of Chemical Research, 631 Sakado, Sakura, Chiba 285-0078, Japan.
Macromol Rapid Commun. 2011 Aug 17;32(16):1253-8. doi: 10.1002/marc.201100248. Epub 2011 Jul 5.
Polymer hydrogels with characteristics distinct from those of solid materials are one of the most promising candidates for smart materials. Here, we report that a nanocomposite hydrogel (NC gel) consisting of a unique polymer/clay network structure, can exhibit complete self-healing through autonomic reconstruction of crosslinks across a damaged interface. Mechanical damage in NC gels can be repaired without the use of a healing agent, and even sections of NC gels separated by cutting, from whichever the same or different kinds of NC gel, perfectly (re-)combine by just contacting the cut surfaces together at mildly elevated temperatures. In NC gels, the autonomic fusion of cut surfaces as well as the self-healing could be achieved not only immediately after being cut but also after a long waiting time.
具有不同于固态材料特性的聚合物水凝胶是最有前途的智能材料之一。在这里，我们报告了一种由独特的聚合物/粘土网络结构组成的纳米复合水凝胶（NC 凝胶），可以通过在受损界面上自动重建交联来实现完全的自修复。NC 凝胶中的机械损伤无需使用修复剂即可修复，即使是通过切割分离的 NC 凝胶的部分，只要在温和的温度下将切割面接触在一起，就可以完美地（重新）结合，无论它们来自相同或不同种类的 NC 凝胶。在 NC 凝胶中，不仅在切割后立即，而且在长时间等待后，也可以实现切割面的自动融合和自修复。
