2024 | Yuhang Ye, Zhangmin Wan, P.D.S.H. Gunawardane, Qi Hua, Siheng Wang, Jiaying Zhu, Mu Chiao, Scott Renneckar, Orlando J. Rojas, and Feng Jiang*
This study introduces a novel strategy to enhance the mechanical performance and environmental resilience of polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogels by incorporating glucose through a process called "sugaring-out." The addition of glucose facilitates hydrogen bonding and interchain interactions, strengthening the hydrogel structure. Additionally, glucose converts free water into bound state, improving the hydrogel's resilience to extreme conditions such as sub-zero temperatures, dehydration, and poor solvents. The resulting PAM-G hydrogels exhibit enhanced toughness, strain, and ionic conductivity, making them suitable for use in soft robotics and multifunctional sensors. The hydrogels also show excellent resistance to poor solvents and exhibit tunable interference colors, which can be used for opto-mechanical sensing. The study demonstrates the potential of this approach to expand the applications of hydrogels in biomedicine and soft electronics.This study introduces a novel strategy to enhance the mechanical performance and environmental resilience of polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogels by incorporating glucose through a process called "sugaring-out." The addition of glucose facilitates hydrogen bonding and interchain interactions, strengthening the hydrogel structure. Additionally, glucose converts free water into bound state, improving the hydrogel's resilience to extreme conditions such as sub-zero temperatures, dehydration, and poor solvents. The resulting PAM-G hydrogels exhibit enhanced toughness, strain, and ionic conductivity, making them suitable for use in soft robotics and multifunctional sensors. The hydrogels also show excellent resistance to poor solvents and exhibit tunable interference colors, which can be used for opto-mechanical sensing. The study demonstrates the potential of this approach to expand the applications of hydrogels in biomedicine and soft electronics.