ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
·
2025
·
IF 19
Yunfei Zhang,Shuling Ye,Yaolong Yang,Rubin He,Jun Lin,Zeyang Hong,Conghui Yuan,Lizong Dai
Hydrogels in water or aqueous solutions swell or shrink unidirectionally until reaching an equilibrium state, which has been extensively studied through both experimental analysis and theoretical prediction. In this work, an unexpected concurrent swelling and deswelling behavior of hydrogels is reported, which manipulates the water state in the polymer networks. The osmotic pressure-driven rapid deswelling and the ionic electrostatic repulsion-driven slow swelling of hydrogels occur simultaneously, affording double-layered polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogels, in which the rigid inner layer does not contains free water, while the soft outer layer comprises both bound and free water. The PAM hydrogels show uniaxial tensile fracture strengths and Young's moduli up to 104.2 MPa and 2.4 GPa, respectively, outperforming various polymeric and biological structural materials. This strategy is applicable to the general molding and three-dimensional (3D) printing techniques, providing wide possibilities for engineering applications. Such strong and rigid hydrogels can simultaneously serve as structural materials for load-bearing and act as functional materials for super-stress (25 to 6000 N) and highly adaptable tactile sensing. These findings enrich the hydrogel swell/deswelling theory and broaden the engineering applications of hydrogels as structural materials.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
生物医学工程
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产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
ADVANCED MATERIALS
·
2025
·
IF 26.8
Shuo Wang,Jing Ge,Xiaoyu Yang,Yunfei Yu,Qingxia He,Xiaojian Liao,Mengmeng Qin,Wei Feng
Molecular solar thermal (MOST) fabrics represent a transformative approach to personal thermal management (PTM) through their capability to control the storage and release of solar energy. Nevertheless, the critical challenge of interfacial incompatibility between MOST molecules and fabrics persists, resulting in compromised robustness and suboptimal energy conversion efficiency. Here, inspired by the salt absorption-secretion mechanism of Atriplex centralasiatica , an innovative swelling-deswelling strategy tailored for hollow aerogel fibers (HAFs) is developed, creating a synergistically promoted MOST-fabric system (SPMFS) with concurrent enhancements in mechanical robustness and photothermal performance. During the swelling-deswelling process, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) chains undergo reorganization into a densified network, while the simultaneous secretion of azobenzene (Azo) forms dense, uniform monocrystalline layers. The resultant SPMFS exhibits notable mechanical improvements, with a 48% increase in breaking strain and 129% enhancement in tensile strength. Equally striking are its photothermal capabilities, achieving an enhanced photo-charging and photo-discharging (>94% photoconversion) alongside a uniformly distributed high energy density of 7.5 kJ m −2 . Moreover, the SPMFS enables programmable rapid thermal management, showcases impressive durability under long-term washing, cyclic stretching, and rubbing, and realizes controllable photothermal physiotherapy. This bioinspired strategy lays the groundwork for next-generation wearable PTM systems and establishes a framework for future PTM device design
研究领域:
生物医学工程
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材料科学
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纳米技术
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能源转换
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智能纺织品
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光热治疗
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柔性电子
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
·
2015
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IF 4.494
Binzhe Sun,Gege Peng,Lian Duan,Aihua Xu,Xiaoxia Li
A simple pretreatment method, NaOH swelling at a low temperature and then HCl regeneration, was developed for depolymerization of cellulose to glucose. Cellulose was transformed into amorphous hydrogel during the treatment; and due to the easy diffusion of H + and Cl − ions into the cellulose hydrogel network as well as the strong ability of Cl − to disrupt the massive hydrogen bond, the hydrolysis rate was greatly enhanced. The method is effective for α-cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, filter paper, ramie fiber and absorbent cotton. Even at a high α-cellulose concentration of 50 g/L, 29.1% yield of glucose was still obtained within 10 min at 160 °C under microwave irradiation, where up to 16.2 g/L of glucose solution was given. The influence of NaOH concentration, HCl concentration, hydrolysis temperature and time on the hydrolysis rate was investigated. The structure of cellulose hydrogel was also studied to confirm the reaction mechanism.
研究领域:
生物化学
·
可再生能源
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
Polymers
·
2019
·Vol. 11
·期 3
·411
·
IF 3.164
Liujun Pei,Yuni Luo,Xiaomin Gu,Huashu Dou,Jiping Wang
The main goal of this article is to study the diffusion mechanism of aqueous solutions and the swelling of cellulosic fibers in the silicone non-aqueous dyeing system via fluorescent labeling. Due to non-polar media only adsorbing on the surface of fiber, cellulosic fiber could not swell as a result of the non-polar media. However, because water molecules can diffuse into the non-crystalline region of the fiber, cellulosic fiber could swell by water which was dispersed or emulsified in a non-aqueous dyeing system. To study the diffusion mechanism of an aqueous solution in the siloxane non-aqueous dyeing system, siloxane non-aqueous media was first diffused to the cellulosic fiber because of its lower surface tension. The resulting aqueous solution took more time to diffuse the surface of the cellulosic fiber, because water molecules must penetrate the siloxane non-aqueous media film. Compared with the fluorescent intensity of the fiber surface, the siloxane film could be re-transferred to the dye bath under the emulsification of the surfactant and the mechanical force. Therefore, a longer diffusion time of the aqueous solution ensured the dyeing feasibility for cellulosic fiber in the non-aqueous dyeing system.Keywords:non-aqueous medium;cellulosic fiber;siloxane;diffusion;swelling
研究领域:
纺织科学
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化学工程
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材料科学
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
Water
·
2022
·Vol. 14
·期 8
·1190
·
IF 3.53
Hao Li,Jin Wang,Yu Luo,Bo Bai,Fangli Cao
For improving the mechanical strength of controlled release fertilizer (CRF) hydrogels, a novel material ofChlorellawas employed as a bio-based filler to prepare chitosan–chlorella hydrogel beads with physical crosslink method. Here, the synthesis mechanism was investigated, and the chitosan–chlorella hydrogel beads exhibited enhanced mechanical stability under centrifugation and sonication than pure chitosan hydrogel beads.Chlorellabrought more abundant functional groups to original chitosan hydrogel, hence, chitosan–chlorella hydrogel beads represented greater sensitivity and controllable response to external factors including pH, salt solution, temperature. In distilled water, the hydrogel beads with 40 wt%Chlorellareached the largest water absorption ratio of 42.92 g/g. Moreover, the mechanism and kinetics process of swelling behavior of the chitosan–chlorella hydrogel beads were evaluated, and the loading and releasing of humic acid by the hydrogel beads as a carrier material were pH-dependent and adjustable, which exhibit the potential of chitosan–chlorella hydrogel beads in the field of controlled release carrier biomaterials.Keywords:hydrogel;controlled release;swelling;Chlorella;pH sensitivity
研究领域:
材料科学
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环境科学
·
农业
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
·
2023
·
IF 6
Xiongfei Zhang,Chuang Ma,Peiyu Liu,Dan Huang,Pengyun Li
Because of its high crosslinking density, compact structure and stable performance, epoxy resin is difficult to be degraded, which leads to serious environmental pollution problems. In this work, using dipropylene glycol dimethyl ether as swelling agent and nitric acid as oxidant, the degradation of amine cured epoxy resin was studied. Results are as follows: The degradation rate obtained by swelling agent assisted oxidation degradation method is much higher than that obtained by oxidation degradation method only. And the degradation rate of the epoxy resin even reached 100 % at 100 °C only in an hour under the condition of swelling agent assisted nitric acid. FT-IR and GC–MS showed that the degradation was mainly caused by that the C N bond in the molecular chain was gradually weakened and fractured finally. The molecular weight of the degradation product was relatively dispersive, which was composed of low molecular polymer and small fragments, and the molecular weight of low molecular polymer was about 2167. And the degradation products primarily contain 4-isopropylphenol and (allyloxy)benzene rings. This work provides a new way to solve the problem about the degradation, recycling and pollution of epoxy resin.
研究领域:
材料科学
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环境科学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
Nanomaterials
·
2025
·Vol. 15
·期 13
·1027
·
IF 4.3
Qingyun Zheng,Jingyuan Liu,Rongrong Chen,Qi Liu,Jing Yu,Jiahui Zhu,Peili Liu
Hydrogel sensors show unique advantages in underwater detection, ocean monitoring, and human–computer interaction because of their excellent flexibility, biocompatibility, high sensitivity, and environmental adaptability. However, due to the water environment, hydrogels will dissolve to a certain extent, resulting in insufficient mechanical strength, poor long-term stability, and signal interference. In this paper, a double-network structure was constructed by polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and poly([2-(methacryloyloxy) ethyl]7 dimethyl-(3-sulfopropyl) ammonium hydroxide) (PSBMA). The resultant PVA/PSBMA-PA hydrogel demonstrated notable swelling resistance, a property attributable to the incorporation of non-covalent interactions (electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding) through the addition of phytic acid (PA). The hydrogel exhibited high stretchability (maximum tensile strength up to 304 kPa), high conductivity (5.8 mS/cm), and anti-swelling (only 1.8% swelling occurred after 14 days of immersion in artificial seawater). Assembled as a sensor, it exhibited high strain sensitivity (0.77), a low detection limit (1%), and stable electrical properties after multiple tensile cycles. The utilization of PVA/PSBMA-PA hydrogel as a wearable sensor shows promise for detecting human joint movements, including those of the fingers, wrists, elbows, and knees. Due to the excellent resistance to swelling, the PVA/PSBMA-PA-based sensors are also suitable for underwater applications, enabling the detection of underwater mannequin motion. This study proposes an uncomplicated and pragmatic methodology for producing hydrogel sensors suitable for use within subaquatic environments, thereby concomitantly broadening the scope of applications for wearable electronic devices.
研究领域:
生物材料
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传感器技术
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柔性电子器件
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人机交互
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
Extreme Mechanics Letters
·
2021
·
IF 4.567
Wenlei Zhang,Jian Hu,Hang Yang,Zhigang Suo,Tongqing Lu
In a previous paper (Zhang et al., 2020), we have demonstrated an adhesive of high fatigue threshold ∼ 300 J/m 2 using an as-prepared hydrogel of long-chain polymer network . In most applications, however, hydrogel adhesives are in contact with water. The long-chain hydrogel swells and reduces the fatigue threshold. Here we demonstrate a type of swell-tolerant and fatigue-resistant hydrogel adhesive: a long-chain polymer network in topological entanglement with short-chain microgels . The short-chain microgels restrict swell, and the long-chain network retains the high fatigue threshold. After the hydrogel adhesives swell in water to equilibrium, the fatigue threshold is 61 J/m 2 for an adhesive of a long-chain network without microgels, and is 262 J/m 2 for an adhesive of a long-chain network with microgels.
研究领域:
材料科学
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生物工程
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
Membranes
·
2021
·Vol. 12
·期 1
·2
·
IF 4.106
Qiang Xue,Kaisong Zhang
Nanomaterials embedded in nanofiltration membranes have become a promising modification technology to improve separation performance. As a novel representation of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials, MXene has nice features with a strong negative charge and excellent hydrophilicity. Our previous research showed that MXene nanosheets were added in the aqueous phase, which enhanced the permeselectivity of the membrane and achieved persistent desalination performance. Embedding the nanomaterials into the polyamide layer through the organic phase can locate the nanomaterials on the upper surface of the polyamide layer, and also prevent the water layer around the hydrophilic nanomaterials from hindering the interfacial polymerization reaction. We supposed that if MXene nanosheets were added in the organic phase, MXene nanosheets would have more negative contact sites on the membrane surface and the crosslinking degree would increase. In this study, MXene were dispersed in the organic phase with the help of ultrasound, then MXene nanocomposite nanofiltration membranes were achieved. The prepared MXene membranes obtained enhanced negative charge and lower effective pore size. In the 28-day persistent desalination test, the Na2SO4rejection of MXene membrane could reach 98.6%, which showed higher rejection compared with MXene embedded in aqueous phase. The results of a long-time water immersion test showed that MXene membrane could still maintain a high salt rejection after being soaked in water for up to 105 days, which indicated MXene on the membrane surface was stable. Besides MXene membrane showed high rejection for high-concentration brine and good mono/divalent salt separation performance in mono/divalent mixed salt solutions. As a part of the study of MXene in nanofiltration membranes, we hoped this research could provide a theoretical guidance for future research in screening different addition methods and different properties.Keywords:MXene;nanofiltration;anti-swelling;mono/divalent ion separation;high saline removal
研究领域:
材料科学
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环境工程
·
膜技术
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
Journal of Materials Chemistry B
·
2022
·Vol. 10
·期 6
·915-926
·
IF 7.571
Liwei Zhang,Yajie Zhang,Fanshu Ma,Xingzhu Liu,Yangzhong Liu,Yi Cao,Renjun Pei
Hydrogel-based wound dressings with tissue adhesion abilities are widely used for wound closure. However, currently developed hydrogel adhesives are still poor at continuing to seal wounds while bleeding is ongoing. Herein, we demonstrate an antibacterial and hemostatic hydrogel adhesive with low-swelling properties and toughness for wound healing. The hydrogel was composed of Pluronic F127 diacrylate, quaternized chitosan diacrylate, silk fibroin, and tannic acid, and it was not only able to maintain good tissue adhesion abilities in a moist environment but it also showed guaranteed tissue adhesion and mechanical strength after absorbing water due to its low-swelling and toughness properties. Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo tests demonstrated that the hydrogel also had antibacterial, antioxidant, and hemostatic properties, which could promote tissue regeneration. All these findings demonstrate that this hydrogel with multifunctional properties is a promising material for clinical wound healing applications.
研究领域:
生物医学工程
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材料科学
·
组织工程
✓ 已验证
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
·
2022
·Vol. 33
·期 1
·2210188
·
IF 19.924
Menghan Pi,Shanhe Qin,Sihan Wen,Zhisen Wang,Xiaoyu Wang,Min Li,Honglang Lu,Qingdang Meng,Wei Cui,Rong Ran
Swelling is ubiquitous for conventional hydrogels but is not favorable for many situations, especially underwater applications. In this study, an anti-swelling and mechanically robust polyacrylic acid (PAAc)/gelatin composite hydrogel is reported with a rapid gelation process (10 1 s) under mild conditions via the synergy of MXene-activated initiation and zirconium ion (Zr 4+ )-induced cross-linking, without the requirement of external energy input. The MXene is found efficient to activate the chain initiation, while the Zr 4+ is prone indispensable for facilitating the cross-linking of formed polymer chains. The resulting hydrogel exhibits integration of exceptional anti-swelling properties and high mechanical performance at room temperature, thanks to the dense hydrogen bonds between PAAc and gelatin chains that enable an upper critical solution temperature above room temperature. Also, desirable electrical conductivity emerges in the hydrogel due to the simultaneous contribution of MXene and Zr 4+ , allowing stable electrical signal output of the gel upon deformation underwater. As a demonstration, an underwater communicator by harnessing the gel as a sensing module is assembled, which is capable of wirelessly delivering messages to the decoder on the ground via Morse codes. This study provides an exemplary way for the rapid gelation of tough and anti-swelling hydrogels for durable underwater applications.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
化学工程
·
生物医学工程
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
CELLULOSE
·
2025
·
IF 4.8
Gunawan Ivana,Zhang Yue,Wang Huijie,Kou Mengtian,Wang Chao,Zhang Yumei
Pulp pre-treatment acts as a preliminary treatment in the lyocell process, allowing aqueous NMMO solvent molecules to penetrate the wood fiber structure. The present paper first determines cellulose’s pre-swelling, swelling, and dissolution phenomena in NMMO aqueous solutions of different concentrations and temperatures. It was found that instead of “ pre-swelling ” and “ dissolution ”, the “ swelling ” action during pre-treatment develops the most suitable interaction between wood pulp fiber and solvent. Higher concentrations of NMMO aqueous solutions (70–80%) do not contain enough water and that limits the uniform wetting of the pulp, while a lower NMMO concentration (50%) is not able to fully establish the hydrogen bonding interaction between cellulose and NMMO. The pre-treatment of cellulose pulp using 60% NMMO aqueous solution at 65 °C can ensure that NMMO itself does not degrade and provides sufficient solvent diffusivity for pulp based on the swelling effect. This significantly reduces heterogeneous microstructure aggregation and effectively promotes subsequent dissolution processes. The dissolved cellulose has more uniformity at the molecular level, showing lower dope relaxation time and gel temperature, which offers better alternatives for stable, high-viscosity lyocell spinning, and constructs stronger fiber compared to that of un-treated pulp.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
化学工程
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
危险品化学品经营许可证（带存储）