Rapid fabrication of physically robust hydrogels

Bingkun Bao; Qingmei Zeng; Kai Li; Jianfeng Wen; Yiqing Zhang; Yongjun Zheng; Renjie Zhou; Chutong Shi; Ting Chen; Chaonan Xiao; Baihang Chen; Tao Wang; Kang Yu; Yuan Sun; Qiuning Lin; Yong He; Shantung Tu; Linyong Zhu

doi:10.1038/s41563-023-01648-4

Rapid fabrication of physically robust hydrogels

Nat Mater. 2023 Oct;22(10):1253-1260. doi: 10.1038/s41563-023-01648-4. Epub 2023 Aug 21.

Authors

Bingkun Bao^#¹, Qingmei Zeng^#¹, Kai Li^#^{2

3}, Jianfeng Wen^#⁴, Yiqing Zhang^{2

3}, Yongjun Zheng³, Renjie Zhou^{2

3}, Chutong Shi¹, Ting Chen¹, Chaonan Xiao¹, Baihang Chen^{2

3}, Tao Wang⁴, Kang Yu⁵, Yuan Sun⁵, Qiuning Lin⁶, Yong He⁵, Shantung Tu⁴, Linyong Zhu^{7

8

9}

Affiliations

¹ School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
² Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomanufacturing Technology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
³ Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Joint International Research Laboratory of Precision Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Pressure Systems and Safety (Ministry of Education), School of Mechanical and Power Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
⁵ State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, College of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
⁶ School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. qiuninglin@sjtu.edu.cn.
⁷ School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. linyongzhu@ecust.edu.cn.
⁸ Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomanufacturing Technology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China. linyongzhu@ecust.edu.cn.
⁹ Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Joint International Research Laboratory of Precision Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China. linyongzhu@ecust.edu.cn.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 37604908
DOI: 10.1038/s41563-023-01648-4

Abstract

Hydrogel materials show promise for diverse applications, particular as biocompatible materials due to their high water content. Despite advances in hydrogel technology in recent years, their application is often severely limited by inadequate mechanical properties and time-consuming fabrication processes. Here we report a rapid hydrogel preparation strategy that achieves the simultaneous photo-crosslinking and establishment of biomimetic soft-hard material interface microstructures. These biomimetic interfacial-bonding nanocomposite hydrogels are prepared within seconds and feature clearly separated phases but have a strongly bonded interface. Due to effective interphase load transfer, biomimetic interfacial-bonding nanocomposite gels achieve an ultrahigh toughness (138 MJ m^-3) and exceptional tensile strength (15.31 MPa) while maintaining a structural stability that rivals or surpasses that of commonly used elastomer (non-hydrated) materials. Biomimetic interfacial-bonding nanocomposite gels can be fabricated into arbitrarily complex structures via three-dimensional printing with micrometre-level precision. Overall, this work presents a generalizable preparation strategy for hydrogel materials and acrylic elastomers that will foster potential advances in soft materials.

Abstract

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