Tang Bo, Hu Jian, Zhao Zijian, Li Shuo, Lv Hongying, Yang Xiaoniu
State Key Laboratory of Polymer Science and Technology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, P. R. China.
School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Jinzhai Road No 96, Hefei, 230026, P. R. China.
Mater Horiz. 2025 Jun 16;12(12):4229-4237. doi: 10.1039/d4mh01862a.
Sufficient mechanical performance is the basic requirement for load-bearing and damage-resistant materials. However, the simultaneous optimization of mechanical properties is usually difficult in a single hydrogel. Herein, a supersaturated salt was employed to enhance the mechanical performance and damage resistance of hydrogels. By immersing the pre-formed hydrogel based on hydrophobic associations into supersaturated NaSO solution (3.3 M), high-density and strong hydrophobic associations were constructed simultaneously in the network due to the contraction of hydrophilic chains and improvement of hydrophobic associations. Compared to the pristine hydrogel, this salt-treated hydrogel was transparent and showed a simultaneous enhancement in stiffness ( of 253 ± 7 MPa), strength ( of 12.65 ± 0.07 MPa), and toughness ( of 19.6 ± 3.2 MJ m). It also displayed remarkable puncture and tear resistance with a puncture force of 66 N, a puncture energy of 370 mJ, and a tearing energy of 34 kJ m. This work provides a simple method to simultaneously optimize the contradictory mechanical properties and puncture resistance in a single hydrogel.
足够的机械性能是承重和抗损伤材料的基本要求。然而，在单一水凝胶中同时优化机械性能通常很困难。在此，采用过饱和盐来增强水凝胶的机械性能和抗损伤能力。通过将基于疏水缔合的预成型水凝胶浸入过饱和NaSO溶液（3.3 M）中，由于亲水链的收缩和疏水缔合的改善，在网络中同时构建了高密度和强疏水缔合。与原始水凝胶相比，这种盐处理后的水凝胶是透明的，并且在刚度（253±7 MPa）、强度（12.65±0.07 MPa）和韧性（19.6±3.2 MJ m）方面同时得到增强。它还表现出显著的抗穿刺和抗撕裂性能，穿刺力为66 N，穿刺能量为370 mJ，撕裂能量为34 kJ m。这项工作提供了一种简单的方法来同时优化单一水凝胶中相互矛盾的机械性能和抗穿刺性能。
