The soft and elastic nature of recently developed tough hydrogels offer potential for a variety of applications from biomedical to soft robots to stretchable electronics. These potential applications have sparked interest in understanding the mechanical properties of hydrogels under extreme conditions. Addition of salts or ethylene glycol have been used to inhibit ice and allow for stretchable hydrogels at low temperatures, but these additives are not particularly desired from an environmental and device corrosion perspective. Recently we have reported the antifreeze properties of hydrogels without any additives. These hydrogels are crosslinked by supramolecular hydrophobic interactions that form nanometer sized domains. The separation between each nanodomain in the hydrogel network structure confines the water to alter its physical properties. However, deformation of the hydrogel will lead to rearrangement of the crosslinks, which could alter the efficacy of these hydrogels to inhibit ice. Here we examine the uniaxial deformation of hydrogels with different ice inhibition efficacies to understand how supercooled water and ice influence the mechanical properties. Surprisingly, uniaxial extension does not significantly alter the water crystallization inside the hydrogel as determined by <i>in-situ</i> SAXS and WAXS. We discuss how ice within these hydrogels acts as an effective filler to increase the elastic modulus, while not significantly embrittling the hydrogel.

Mechanical properties of physically crosslinked hydrogels at low temperatures: Effect of supercooled vs. crystalline water

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.