A mechanically adaptive hydrogel with a reconfigurable network consisting entirely of inorganic nanosheets and water.

ABSTRACT: Although various biomimetic soft materials that display structural hierarchies and stimuli responsiveness have been developed from organic materials, the creation of their counterparts consisting entirely of inorganic materials presents an attractive challenge, as the properties of such materials generally differ from those of living organisms. Here, we have developed a hydrogel consisting of inorganic nanosheets (14 wt%) and water (86 wt%) that undergoes thermally induced reversible and abrupt changes in its internal structure and mechanical elasticity (23-fold). At room temperature, the nanosheets in water electrostatically repel one another and self-assemble into a long-periodic lamellar architecture with mutually restricted mobility, forming a physical hydrogel. Upon heating above 55 °

SUBMITTER: Sano K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7699623 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature