3D-printed ketoenamine crosslinked polyrotaxane hydrogels and their mechanochromic responsiveness

Abstract

A ketoenamine-based dynamic covalent crosslinker was introduced to α-cyclodextrin-based polypseudorotaxanes, forming viscoelastic hydrogels for direct-ink-write 3D printing. The irreversible enol–keto tautomerization imparts high chemical stability to the extensively crosslinked polyrotaxane hydrogels, which showed mechanochromic responsiveness in the presence of the integrated fluorophores.