English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Zendy Pro

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Presents AI Discovery search usage as a premium feature

AI Discovery

Presents AI Discovery explain and summary usage as a premium feature

Content Analysis

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

1500 Top-up

3000 Top-up

Zendy Basic

2500 Top-up

Zendy Unlimited

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Hydrogels have potential applications in many fields, but the poor mechanical strength has limited their further development. In this article, we designed a simple route to high-strength interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogel from polyacrylamide (PAAm) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH). The highest tensile strength and elongation were 2.4 Mpa and 4300 %, respectively. It was found that the hydrogel strength depended on the chemical crosslinking, physical entanglement and PVOH precipitates. Because of the hydrogen bonding interactions and self-crosslinking, the structure of PVOH transferred from crystal to amorphous. PVOH precipitates scattered in the crosslinked PAAm matrix which dispersed the stress and improved the hydrogel toughness. The simple method is versatile in synthesizing high-strength IPN hydrogels using many kinds of polymer species.

A simple route to high-strength hydrogel with an interpenetrating polymer network