Antifreeze Hydrogel with Reversibility Based on the Hydrogen Bonding Moiety
발표자
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초록
내용
Hydrogels based on physical junctions have attracted immense interests due to the dynamic property of junctions which endow the self-healing or injectability to the hydrogels. In this study, we synthesized the random copolymer hydrogel containing the large amount of qudruple hydrogen bonding (~50 mol%). Structure of the hydrogel was identified by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and the presense of water-impermeable domain was confirmed. From this structural feature, the water molecules are captured between the nanoscale water-impermeable domain. As a result, they are hardly crystallized during the freezing process and become metastable state (i.e., cubic or amorphous) even if they become ice crystals. In addition the hydrogel is self-healable and injectable due to the reversible nature of junctions. We hope that this finding will aid in designing of functional materials and broaden the versatility of reversible non-covalent bonds.