Hydrogels attract great attention due to their soft and wet nature, similar to that of biological materials such as tissue. In this study, hydrogels were synthesized via one-pot bulk copolymerization of acrylic acid (AAc), methacrylamide (MAAm), and polypropylene glycol diacrylate (PPO-DA). These hydrogels consist of chemical crosslinking, and physical associations such as hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic association rendering this hydrogel highly stretchable and tough. FTIR and NMR spectroscopy were used to determine the chemical structure of the hydrogels. Small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) has been used to capture the physical association in this gel. Tensile and compression tests were conducted to determine the toughness of these hydrogels. Hydrogels with PPO-DA have exhibited as high as 400 % stretchability and these gels return to the original size quickly after the force is removed. The gel mechanical properties have been varied by changing the PPO-DA concentration.

Highly stretchable and tough hydrogel consisting of physical and chemical crosslinks

2019 Spring National Meeting

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