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Abstract
Stimuli-sensitive hydrogels changing their volumes and shapes in response to various stimulations have potential applications in multiple fields. However, these hydrogels have not yet been commercialized due to some problems that need to be overcome. One of the most significant problems is that conventional stimuli-sensitive hydrogels are usually brittle. Here we prepare extremely stretchable thermosensitive hydrogels with good toughness by using polyrotaxane derivatives composed of α-cyclodextrin and polyethylene glycol as cross-linkers and introducing ionic groups into the polymer network. The ionic groups help the polyrotaxane cross-linkers to become well extended in the polymer network. The resulting hydrogels are surprisingly stretchable and tough because the cross-linked α-cyclodextrin molecules can move along the polyethylene glycol chains. In addition, the polyrotaxane cross-linkers can be used with a variety of vinyl monomers; the mechanical properties of the wide variety of polymer gels can be improved by using these cross-linkers.
Highlights
Stimuli-sensitive hydrogels changing their volumes and shapes in response to various stimulations have potential applications in multiple fields
This slide-ring gel is composed of polyrotaxane (PR)[20], which consists of a-cyclodextrin (a-CD), polyethylene glycol (PEG) with terminal carboxylic acids and a capping agent (1-adamantanamine)
The NIPA–PR-C gel prepared in dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) was transparent, the gel became slightly opaque after replacing DMSO with water, even at 20 °C
Summary
Stimuli-sensitive hydrogels changing their volumes and shapes in response to various stimulations have potential applications in multiple fields. To make stimuli-sensitive hydrogels for various practical applications, the mechanical properties of the existing wellstudied stimuli-sensitive hydrogels should be improved retaining their stimuli sensitivities and using simple preparation techniques This advance in stimuli-sensitive hydrogel research requires, for instance, a breakthrough in the cross-linking structure in conventional stimuli-sensitive hydrogels, the cross-linking structure constitutes a small fraction of the hydrogels. On the basis of this requirement, a slide-ring gel developed by Okumura and Ito[19] inspired us to prepare a new cross-linker for mechanically improved stimuli-sensitive hydrogels. This slide-ring gel is composed of polyrotaxane (PR)[20], which consists of a-cyclodextrin (a-CD), polyethylene glycol (PEG) with terminal carboxylic acids and a capping agent (1-adamantanamine). The slidering gel exhibits high extensibility and a small hysteresis on repeated extension and contraction
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