Hierarchical crack-resistant, tissue-mimetic hydrogels enabled by progressive nanocrystallization of anisotropic polymer networks.

ABSTRACT: Addressing the persistent challenge of reconciling extreme mechanical robustness with tissue-mimetic functionality in hydrogels, we present a phase-transition-guided hierarchical engineering strategy that progressively architectures anisotropic polyvinyl alcohol networks through sequential mechanical training, wet-annealing, and salting-out. This triphasic processing induces programmable structural evolution: (1) mechanical training aligns polymer chains, (2) wet-annealing relaxes the stress while stabilizes oriented crystallites through solvent-plasticized rearrangement, and (3) salting-out densifies the network via chain aggregation and hydrogen-bond proliferation. The resultant hierarchical architecture achieves high fatigue resistance (threshold: 2083 J·m^-2) through multi-sc

SUBMITTER: Li H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12678598 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature