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Control nucleation for strong and tough crystalline hydrogels with high water content

Author

Listed:
  • Limei Huang

    (Hunan University)

  • Hao Li

    (Henan Academy of Sciences)

  • Shunxi Wen

    (Hunan University)

  • Penghui Xia

    (Hunan University)

  • Fanzhan Zeng

    (Hunan University)

  • Chaoyi Peng

    (LTD.)

  • Jun Yang

    (LTD.)

  • Yun Tan

    (Southern University of Science and Technology)

  • Ji Liu

    (Southern University of Science and Technology)

  • Lei Jiang

    (Academy of Sciences)

  • Jianfeng Wang

    (Hunan University)

Abstract

Hydrogels, provided that they integrate strength and toughness at desired high content of water, promise in load-bearing tissues such as articular cartilage, ligaments, tendons. Many developed strategies impart hydrogels with some mechanical properties akin to natural tissues, but compromise water content. Herein, a strategy deprotonation-complexation-reprotonation is proposed to prepare polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels with water content as high as ~80% and favorable mechanical properties, including tensile strength of 7.4 MPa, elongation of around 1350%, and fracture toughness of 12.4 kJ m−2. The key to water holding yet improved mechanical properties lies in controllable nucleation for refinement of crystalline morphology. With nearly constant water content, mechanical properties of as-prepared hydrogels are successfully tailored by tuning crystal nuclei density via deprotonation degree and their distribution uniformity via complexation temperature. This work provides a nucleation concept to design robust hydrogels with desired water content, holding implications for practical application in tissue engineering.

Suggested Citation

  • Limei Huang & Hao Li & Shunxi Wen & Penghui Xia & Fanzhan Zeng & Chaoyi Peng & Jun Yang & Yun Tan & Ji Liu & Lei Jiang & Jianfeng Wang, 2024. "Control nucleation for strong and tough crystalline hydrogels with high water content," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-13, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-52264-y
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52264-y
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