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Nanocomposite interpenetrating hydrogels with high toughness and good self-recovery

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Abstract

It is particularly desirable to fabricate highly tough hydrogels with excellent self-recoverable properties for applications where high stress is required. In this work, we prepared a tough, fast self-recoverable nanocomposite hydrogel by chemical cross-linking of acrylamide (AM) monomers with vinyl-modified silica nanoparticles (VSNPs), combined with physical cross-linking of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The uniaxial tensile test showed that the nanocomposite hydrogel has excellent mechanical properties. The maximum elongation at break was as high as 666%, and the tensile strength was as high as 1.68 MPa. Cyclic loading-unloading tests revealed the excellent self-healing properties of the nanocomposite hydrogel. It is worth noting that the nanocomposite hydrogel exhibited higher strength after two loading-unloading cycles, due to the orientation of the PVA when stretched. In addition, the effects of PVA, VSNPs, and AM concentrations, and the number of PVA freeze-thaw cycles and freezing duration on the mechanical properties of the hydrogels were investigated in detail.

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Funding

We acknowledge financial support from the National Nature Science Foundation of China (No. 21104040, 51473007, 31570575).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, 100048, People’s Republic of China

    Zhang Huijuan, Wang Xue, Huang Huanxuan, Yang Biao, Wang Chun & Sun Hui

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  1. Zhang Huijuan
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Correspondence to Zhang Huijuan or Yang Biao.

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Zhang, H., Wang, X., Huang, H. et al. Nanocomposite interpenetrating hydrogels with high toughness and good self-recovery. Colloid Polym Sci 297, 821–830 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-019-04512-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-019-04512-7

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