Herein, we reported a strategy to fabricate polyacrylamide/chitosan/montmorillonite nanocomposite hydrogels by simultaneously introducing lamellar montmorillonite and chitosan microcrystalline structure via a facile and universal two-step method composed of in-situ free radical polymerization and soaking strategy. The incorporation of two-dimensional nanoclay particles and microcrystalline structure into polyacrylamide network synergistically facilitated the formation of robust and uniform polymer architecture through physical interactions, and thus significantly improved the mechanical behavior. As a result, the satisfactory mechanical properties of the optimal nanocomposite hydrogels were achieved at a relative high water content (80 wt%), including a superior tensile strength of 1.91 MPa, high tensile strain of 1005% and exceptionally great toughness of 14.16 MJ/m<sup>3</sup>, respectively. Furthermore, they also possessed excellent compressive properties assessed from cyclic tests. Based on the structural evolution observation and analysis, a possible strengthening mechanism for enhanced mechanical properties was discussed and proposed. This high-performance nanocomposite hydrogel shows great potential as a promising candidate for structural or load-bearing materials.

Mechanically robust polyacrylamide composite hydrogel achieved by integrating lamellar montmorillonite and chitosan microcrystalline structure into covalently cross-linked network

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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