Double-Hydrophobic-Coating through Quenching for Hydrogels with Strong Resistance to Both Drying and Swelling.

ABSTRACT: In recent years, various hydrogels with a wide range of functionalities have been developed. However, owing to the two major drawbacks of hydrogels-air-drying and water-swelling-hydrogels developed thus far have yet to achieve most of their potential applications. Herein, a bioinspired, facile, and versatile method for fabricating hydrogels with high stability in both air and water is reported. This method includes the creation of a bioinspired homogeneous fusion layer of a hydrophobic polymer and oil in the outermost surface layer of the hydrogel via a double-hydrophobic-coating produced through quenching. As a proof-of-concept, this method is applied to a polyacrylamide hydrogel without compromising its mechanical properties. The coated hydrogel exhibits strong resistance to both drying

SUBMITTER: Mredha MTI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7080539 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature