Highly stretchable, injectable hydrogels with cyclic endurance and shape-stability in dynamic mechanical environments, by microunit reformation

Abstract

Traditional injectable hydrogels have so far found it difficult to accommodate resistance to large deformation and shape-stability under cyclic deformation. Polyampholyte (PA) hydrogels exhibit resistance to large deformation, good fatigue-resistance and rapid self-healing under dynamic forces. The limitations of the preparation process result in non-injectability of polyampholyte (PA) hydrogels. Electrostatic interactions as a medium for resistance to large deformation and shape-stability after cyclic deformation in reformed injectable hydrogels has been explored in this study. The prepared hydrogels (as-prepared PA-N) were dried and smashed into microunits and then mixed with 0.9% NaCl solution to transform them into reformed hydrogels (as-reformed PA-N) via a needle to achieve injectability. The as-reformed PA-N could exhibit 913.6% elongation at break and showed shape-stability under cyclic deformation due to the efficient self-healing abilities of the microunits and the inherited structure of the prepared hydrogels, which are superior to those of current tough injectable hydrogels. Potential applications in elbow cyclic bending and frequent movement of mobile wounds have been proved in this study. Overall, the results showed that the as-reformed PA-N achieved convenient injectability with resistance to large deformation and shape-stability under cyclic deformation at the same time.