2018-ACS AMI: Semi-Crystalline Hydrophobically Associated Hydrogels with Integrated High Performances
作者：Dandan Wei, Jia Yang*, Lin Zhu, Feng Chen, Ziqing Tang, Gang Qin, and Qiang Chen*
關鍵字：HA gels
論文來源：期刊
具體來源：ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces
發表時間：2018年
Hydrophobically associated hydrogels (HA gels) are one of most extensively investigated high strength hydrogels. Semi-crystalline HA gels, prepared by micellar copolymerization, show high strength and notable functionalities of self-healing and shape-memory. However, the hydrophobic comonomers in these semi-crystalline HA gels are usually limited to the long alkyl length monomers (18-alkyl(meth)acrylates). In the present work, N-acryloyl 11-aminoundecanoic acid (A11AUA), consisting of 10 –CH2 groups and a -COOH group at the end of alkyl chain, was used as hydrophobic comonomer to prepare physical A11AUA-based HA gels in the presence of high concentration cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) or sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) experiments had identified the A11AUA-based HA gels possessed crystalline domains and clusters of crystalline domains, while lauryl methacrylate (C12M)-based HA gels were amorphous. As a result, A11AUA-based HA gels displayed much better tensile properties than those of C12M-based HA gels. At the optimal condition, the A11AUA-CTAB HA gel demonstrated integrated high performances, including high stiffness (E of 1016 kPa), high strength (σf of 0.75 MPa), high toughness (T of 7540 J/m2), rapid self-recovery (94% recovery after heat treatment at 60 oC for 2 min), outstanding shape memory (fully recovered to the permanent shape only 2-14 s) and excellent self-healing properties (as healed at 60 oC for 2 h, stress and strain healing efficiency reached to 64 % and 85%, respectively). We believe this work provides a new insight for HA gels, which is benefit to design new hydrogels with integrated high performances, such as high strength, high toughness, large extensibility, shape-memory and self-healing properties.