Yang Zhen, Bao Guangyu, Huo Ran, Jiang Shuaibing, Yang Xingwei, Ni Xiang, Mongeau Luc, Long Rong, Li Jianyu
Mechanical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C3, Canada.
Mechanical Engineering, Colorado University Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023 Sep 26;120(39):e2307816120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2307816120. Epub 2023 Sep 19.
Hydrogel adhesion that can be easily modulated in magnitude, space, and time is desirable in many emerging applications ranging from tissue engineering and soft robotics to wearable devices. In synthetic materials, these complex adhesion behaviors are often achieved individually with mechanisms and apparatus that are difficult to integrate. Here, we report a universal strategy to embody multifaceted adhesion programmability in synthetic hydrogels. By designing the surface network topology of a hydrogel, supramolecular linkages that result in contrasting adhesion behaviors are formed on the hydrogel interface. The incorporation of different topological linkages leads to dynamically tunable adhesion with high-resolution spatial programmability without alteration of bulk mechanics and chemistry. Further, the association of linkages enables stable and tunable adhesion kinetics that can be tailored to suit different applications. We rationalize the physics of polymer chain slippage, rupture, and diffusion at play in the emergence of the programmable behaviors. With the understanding, we design and fabricate various soft devices such as smart wound patches, fluidic channels, drug-eluting devices, and reconfigurable soft robotics. Our study presents a simple and robust platform in which adhesion controllability in multiple aspects can be easily integrated into a single design of a hydrogel network.
在从组织工程、软体机器人到可穿戴设备等众多新兴应用中，都需要能够在大小、空间和时间上轻松调节的水凝胶粘附力。在合成材料中，这些复杂的粘附行为通常通过难以整合的机制和装置单独实现。在此，我们报告了一种在合成水凝胶中体现多方面粘附可编程性的通用策略。通过设计水凝胶的表面网络拓扑结构，在水凝胶界面上形成了导致对比粘附行为的超分子键。不同拓扑键的引入导致了具有高分辨率空间可编程性的动态可调粘附力，而不会改变本体力学和化学性质。此外，键的缔合实现了稳定且可调的粘附动力学，可根据不同应用进行定制。我们对聚合物链滑动、断裂和扩散在可编程行为出现过程中所起作用的物理原理进行了合理化解释。基于这一理解，我们设计并制造了各种软设备，如智能伤口贴片、流体通道、药物洗脱装置和可重构软体机器人。我们的研究提出了一个简单而稳健的平台，在该平台中，多方面的粘附可控性可以轻松集成到水凝胶网络的单一设计中。
