Effect of carbon nanotubes reinforcement on the polyvinyl alcohol – polyethylene glycol double-network hydrogel composites: A general approach to shape memory and printability

Abstract

The developing polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) double network (DN) hydrogel are promising to utilize as matrix composites due to their unique characteristics such as shape memory. The DN hydrogel are hydrophilic smart materials that possess shape memory phenomenon by thermal stimuli-responsive. Scientifically, the DN hydrogel can describe as a combination of polymers with two different sets of properties. In particular, the PEG play as a minor network of a stiff framework and the PVA play as a major network of an elastic matter. In addition, the use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) become reinforcement has emerged as one of the most promising to bring new conceptual paradigm for DN hydrogel, due to their advantages have well-established in the polymer matrix. The development of DN hydrogel composite becomes high novelty with approaching attributes on general studies about shape memory and printability. The result shows that the CNTs additional are capable to maintain the shape memory effect of hydrogels and improve the viscoelasticity for printability, respectively.