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Fabrication of Tough Double-Network Hydrogels from Highly Cross-Linked Brittle Neutral Networks Using Alkaline Hydrolysis
- Source :
- Gels, Vol 10, Iss 1, p 29 (2023)
- Publication Year :
- 2023
- Publisher :
- MDPI AG, 2023.
-
Abstract
- This paper describes a simple method to synthesize tough hydrogels from a highly cross-linked neutral network. It was found that applying alkaline hydrolysis to a highly cross-linked hydrogel synthesized from acrylamide (AAm) can increase its swelling ratio dramatically. Double-network (DN) hydrogels synthesized from polymerization of loosely cross-linked AAm networks inside a highly cross-linked AAm gel were not tough. However, repeating the same recipes with a second polymerization step to synthesize a DN hydrogel from a hydrolyzed highly cross-linked AAm gel resulted in tough hydrogels. Those gels exhibited finite tensile behavior similar to that of conventional DN hydrogels. Moreover, craze-like patterns were observed during tensile loading of a DN hydrogel synthesized from a hydrolyzed highly cross-linked first network and a loosely cross-linked second network. The patterns remained in the gel even after strain hardening at high stretch ratios. The craze-like pattern formation was suppressed by increasing the concentration of cross-linking monomer in the second polymerization step. Crack propagation in DN hydrogels synthesized using hydrolysis was also studied by applying a tensile load on notched specimens.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 23102861
- Volume :
- 10
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Directory of Open Access Journals
- Journal :
- Gels
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- edsdoj.933d8ba2abf34c56948ab1193782d457
- Document Type :
- article
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10010029