Work

Enhanced toughness in highly entangled hydrogels via non-covalent molecular hooks

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: ) to the hydrogels that otherwise flow within minutes. Oscillatory and rotational rheology demonstrates that the incorporation of 1 mol% of PEGmeAc is sufficient to provide structural stability to the hydrogel, increase relaxation time and improve elastic response, and severely inhibits disentanglement under shear. We hypothesized that this effect was caused by a combination of hydrogen bonding and topological entanglements, making PEGmeAc act as "hooks" within the network. The mechanism was confirmed through a combination of dissolution assays and nuclear Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy (NOESY), which showed that hydrogen bonding and topological entanglements are at play. Consequently, the incorporation of small quantities of such monomers into hydrogels may open new pathways to enhance the mechanical properties of soft materials.

Source: Materials Horizons

DOI: 10.1039/d5mh01344e

Authors: Élise Ansart, Lucien Cousin, Mark W. Tibbitt, Stefan Mommer

Institution: ETH Zurich

Language: English

Topic: Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications

Subfield: Molecular Medicine

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich

Award: Slide-Ring Networks using High-Affinity Host-Guest Inclusion Complexation