Institution: | 1. Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization of Ministry of Education, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
College of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
Key Laboratory of Special Purpose Equipment and Advanced Processing Technology, Ministry of Education and Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China;2. Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization of Ministry of Education, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China |
Abstract: | Fluorescent hydrogels have promising applications in biomedical and engineering fields. However, they are usually mechanically weak. Here, we report a fluorescent composite hydrogel with high toughness, which is facilely prepared by solution casting ethanol solution of poly(hydroxyurethane) (PHU) and poly(stearyl acrylate-co-acrylic acid) (PSA-co-AAc]) followed by swelling the casted film in water. The composite hydrogels with water content of 62–78 wt% possess remarkable mechanical performances, with tensile breaking stress of 0.3–1.1 MPa, breaking strain of 280%–400%, Young's modulus of 0.2–0.7 MPa, and tearing fracture energy of 1250–2630 J/m2. The high toughness is attributed to the effective energy dissipation of the network with hydrophobic association of SA units and hydrogen bonds between PHU and P(SA-co-AAc) as the physical crosslinks. The intense aggregation of carbamates and the formation of carbamate clusters through intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds endow the composite hydrogel with strong fluorescence. These hydrogels with high toughness and strong fluorescence should find applications in flexible electronics, information display, and biomedical devices. |