A strategy for tough and fatigue-resistant hydrogels via loose cross-linking and dense dehydration-induced entanglements.

ABSTRACT: Outstanding overall mechanical properties are essential for the successful utilization of hydrogels in advanced applications such as human-machine interfaces and soft robotics. However, conventional hydrogels suffer from fracture toughness-stiffness conflict and fatigue threshold-stiffness conflict, limiting their applicability. Simultaneously enhancing the fracture toughness, fatigue threshold, and stiffness of hydrogels, especially within a homogeneous single network structure, has proven to be a formidable challenge. In this work, we overcome this challenge through the design of a loosely cross-linked hydrogel with slight dehydration. Experimental results reveal that the slightly-dehydrated, loosely cross-linked polyacrylamide hydrogel, with an original/current water content of 87%/70%,

SUBMITTER: Zhong D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11246433 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature