Xu Bo, Liu Yuwei, Wang Lanlan, Ge Xiaodong, Fu Min, Wang Ping, Wang Qiang
Key Laboratory of Eco-Textile, Ministry of Education, College of Textile and Clothing, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
College of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266590, China.
Polymers (Basel). 2018 Sep 14;10(9):1025. doi: 10.3390/polym10091025.
Hydrogels with excellent mechanical properties have potential for use in various fields. However, the swelling of hydrogels under water and the dehydration of hydrogels in air severely limits the practical applications of high-strength hydrogels due to the influence of air and water on the mechanical performance of hydrogels. In this study, we report on a kind of tough and strong nanocomposite hydrogels (NC-G gels) with both swelling-resistant and anti-dehydration properties via free radical copolymerization of acrylic acid (AA) and -vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (VP) in the water-glycerol bi-solvent solutions containing small amounts of alumina nanoparticles (Al₂O₃ NPs) as the inorganic cross-linking agents. The topotactic chelation reactions between Al₂O₃ NPs and polymer matrix are thought to contribute to the cross-linking structure, outstanding mechanical performance, and swelling-resistant property of NC-G gels, whereas the strong hydrogen bonds between water and glycerol endow them with anti-dehydration capacity. As a result, the NC-G gels could maintain mechanical properties comparable to other as-prepared high-strength hydrogels when utilized both under water and in air environments. Thus, this novel type of hydrogel would considerably enlarge the application range of hydrogel materials.
具有优异机械性能的水凝胶在各个领域都有应用潜力。然而，由于空气和水对水凝胶机械性能的影响，水凝胶在水中的溶胀以及在空气中的脱水严重限制了高强度水凝胶的实际应用。在本研究中，我们报道了一种坚韧且坚固的纳米复合水凝胶（NC-G凝胶），它通过在含有少量氧化铝纳米颗粒（Al₂O₃ NPs）作为无机交联剂的水 - 甘油双溶剂溶液中，使丙烯酸（AA）和N-乙烯基-2-吡咯烷酮（VP）进行自由基共聚反应，从而具备抗溶胀和抗脱水性能。Al₂O₃ NPs与聚合物基体之间的拓扑螯合反应被认为有助于NC-G凝胶的交联结构、出色的机械性能和抗溶胀性能，而水与甘油之间的强氢键赋予它们抗脱水能力。因此，当在水下和空气环境中使用时，NC-G凝胶能够保持与其他制备的高强度水凝胶相当的机械性能。这样，这种新型水凝胶将大大拓宽水凝胶材料的应用范围。
