Controlling the mechanical properties of hydrogels via modulating the side-chain length

Takuma Kureha; Kazuma Takahashi; Mion Kino; Hikaru Kida; Takuto Hirayama

doi:10.1039/d3sm00134b

Controlling the mechanical properties of hydrogels via modulating the side-chain length

Soft Matter. 2023 Apr 26;19(16):2878-2882. doi: 10.1039/d3sm00134b.

Authors

Takuma Kureha¹, Kazuma Takahashi¹, Mion Kino¹, Hikaru Kida¹, Takuto Hirayama¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Frontier Materials Chemistry, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Hirosaki University, 3 Bunkyo-cho, Hirosaki 036-8561, Japan. t-kureha@hirosaki-u.ac.jp.

PMID: 37060153
DOI: 10.1039/d3sm00134b

Abstract

Even though the toughness of hydrogels is usually adjusted by changing the cross-linking density and structure, or the polymer concentration, we have discovered a new strategy to control the toughness via modulating the side-chain length. In this study, this strategy was applied to biocompatible poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) with long ethylene-oxide side chains.