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Dextran‐Based Self‐Healing Hydrogels Formed by Reversible Diels–Alder Reaction under Physiological Conditions
Author(s) -
Wei Zhao,
Yang Jian Hai,
Du Xiao Jing,
Xu Feng,
Zrinyi Miklos,
Osada Yoshihito,
Li Fei,
Chen Yong Mei
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
macromolecular rapid communications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.348
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1521-3927
pISSN - 1022-1336
DOI - 10.1002/marc.201300494
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , dextran , ethylene glycol , materials science , polymer , self healing , self healing material , chemical engineering , polymer chemistry , polysaccharide , chemistry , organic chemistry , composite material , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology , engineering
A dextran‐based self‐healing hydrogel is prepared by reversible Diels–Alder reaction under physiological conditions. Cytocompatible fulvene‐modified dextran as main polymer chains and dichloromaleic‐acid‐modified poly(ethylene glycol) as cross‐linkers are used. Both macro‐ and microscopic observation as well as the rheological recovery test confirm the self‐healing property of the dextran‐l‐poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels (“l” means “linked‐by”). In addition, scanning electrochemical microscopy is used to qualitatively and quantitatively in situ track the self‐healing process of the hydrogel for the first time. It is found that the longitudinal depth of scratch on hydrogel surface almost completely healed at 37 °C after 7 h. This work represents a facile approach for fabrication of polysaccharide self‐healing hydrogel, which can be potentially used in several biomedical fields.