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Bulk Alignment of Chromonic Aggregates During Swelling of Hydrogels
Author(s) -
Shiraishi Koji,
Takahashi Sawako,
Le Khoa V.,
Naka Yumiko,
Sasaki Takeo
Publication year - 2020
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.201900631
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , swelling , materials science , aqueous solution , ionic bonding , chemical engineering , stacking , phase (matter) , anisotropy , ionic strength , polymer chemistry , chemistry , composite material , optics , organic chemistry , ion , physics , engineering
This study demonstrates that the bulk alignment of chromonic aggregates can be achieved during the swelling of hydrogels. Swelling of an ionic hydrogel immersed in an aqueous solution of disodium cromoglycate reorients the chromonic aggregates, and millimeter‐thick optically anisotropic hydrogels are obtained. These anisotropic hydrogels contain the chromonic aggregates at a condensed concentration as high as in the columnar phase of a normal chromonic aqueous solution, although the X‐ray diffraction results show much less stacking order and orientational order of the aggregates. Furthermore, anisotropic mechanical properties of the hydrogels are observed due to the anisotropic alignment of the chromonic aggregates.