Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, N21W11, Kita-ku, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan.
Faculty of Advanced Life Science, Hokkaido University, N21W11, Kita-ku, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan.
Science. 2019 Feb 1;363(6426):504-508. doi: 10.1126/science.aau9533.
Living tissues, such as muscle, autonomously grow and remodel themselves to adapt to their surrounding mechanical environment through metabolic processes. By contrast, typical synthetic materials cannot grow and reconstruct their structures once formed. We propose a strategy for developing "self-growing" polymeric materials that respond to repetitive mechanical stress through an effective mechanochemical transduction. Robust double-network hydrogels provided with a sustained monomer supply undergo self-growth, and the materials are substantially strengthened under repetitive loading through a structural destruction-reconstruction process. This strategy also endows the hydrogels with tailored functions at desired positions by mechanical stamping. This work may pave the way for the development of self-growing gel materials for applications such as soft robots and intelligent devices.
活组织，如肌肉，通过代谢过程自主生长和重塑自身以适应周围的机械环境。相比之下，典型的合成材料一旦形成就无法生长和重建其结构。我们提出了一种通过有效的力-化学转换来开发“自生长”聚合物材料的策略。具有持续单体供应的坚固双网络水凝胶通过有效的力-化学转换来实现自生长，并且通过结构破坏-重建过程在重复加载下材料得到显著增强。这种策略还通过机械冲压在所需位置赋予水凝胶定制功能。这项工作可能为软机器人和智能设备等应用的自生长凝胶材料的发展铺平道路。
