Issue 11, 2020

Dynamic intermolecular interactions through hydrogen bonding of water promote heat conduction in hydrogels

Abstract

Heat-conducting polymers provide a new opportunity to tackle thermal management challenges in advanced technologies such as wearable electronics and soft robotics. One strategy to enhance heat conduction in amorphous polymers has been tuning their intermolecular interactions. These intermolecular forces are often static in nature as the participating molecules are anchored on the polymer chains. In this work, using hydrogel as a model system, we demonstrate how dynamic intermolecular forces, which break and re-form constantly, can also enhance thermal transport. Utilizing calorimetric and spectroscopic measurements, we show that this arises from the hydrogen bonds formed between water and nearby polymer chains, which enhances the inter-chain heat transfer efficiency. This mechanism may potentially allow the design of heat-conducting polymers with self-healing or adaptability functionalities.

Graphical abstract: Dynamic intermolecular interactions through hydrogen bonding of water promote heat conduction in hydrogels

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
03 Maijs 2020
Accepted
10 Aug. 2020
First published
10 Aug. 2020
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Mater. Horiz., 2020,7, 2936-2943

Dynamic intermolecular interactions through hydrogen bonding of water promote heat conduction in hydrogels

J. Zhou, S. Lin, H. Zeng, J. Liu, B. Li, Y. Xu, X. Zhao and G. Chen, Mater. Horiz., 2020, 7, 2936 DOI: 10.1039/D0MH00735H

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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