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Construction and Properties of Hydrophobic Association Hydrogels with High Mechanical Strength and Reforming Capability
Author(s) -
Jiang Guoqing,
Liu Chang,
Liu Xiaoli,
Zhang Guohui,
Yang Meng,
Liu Fengqi
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
macromolecular materials and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1439-2054
pISSN - 1438-7492
DOI - 10.1002/mame.200900160
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , materials science , micelle , copolymer , chemical engineering , polymer , elongation , fluorescence , composite number , polymer chemistry , ultimate tensile strength , composite material , chemistry , organic chemistry , aqueous solution , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering
Hydrophobic association hydrogels (HA‐gels) with almost ideal properties were successfully prepared by micellar copolymerization, and the associated micelles acted as physical cross‐linking points in the network of HA‐gels. HA‐gels exhibit exceptional mechanical properties and transparency. However, the most striking properties are that HA‐gels possess the capability of self‐healing and remolding, which is mainly due to the dissociation and re‐association process of the associated micelles. Dried‐gels, which were prepared by stretching HA‐gels to a certain elongation for a period of time in the air, can be used as shrinkable or thermal sensitivity materials. HA‐gels have a broad selectivity for components, so we have synthesized HA‐gels with variously available properties by changing a corresponding component: thermoresponsive HA‐gels, nanosphere‐composite HA‐gels, and fluorescent HA‐gels. Therefore, we are sure that HA‐gels will be widely used in various fields, such as biology, medication, sensors, optics, and oil exploitation.