Issue 32, 2022

Dually-dynamic covalent tetraPEG hydrogels end-linked with boronate ester and acylhydrazone groups

Abstract

Well-defined dually dynamic hydrogels were prepared by end-linking four-armed poly(ethylene glycol) stars (tetraPEG stars) through two different types of dynamic covalent cross-links, boronates and acylhydrazones, leading to robust, self-healable materials. This required the prior end-functionalization of tetraPEG stars, originally bearing four hydroxyl terminal groups, with glucoronate, acylhydrazide and benzaldehyde groups, resulting in three differently end-functional star polymers. A first type of dually dynamic hydrogel resulted from the combination of the first two differently end-functionalized tetraPEG stars, cross-linked by 4-formylphenyl boronic acid, a small molecule bearing both an aldehyde and a boronic acid group, respectively complementary to the acylhydrazide and glucoronate end-groups of the two above-mentioned tetraPEG stars. For comparison, a singly-dynamic hydrogel cross-linked with only acylhydrazone groups was also prepared, as well as a double-like hydrogel combining the constituents of both of the above-mentioned hydrogels. All three types of hydrogels were prepared at three different pH values, 8.5, 10.5 and 12.5, leading to a total number of nine samples. All nine samples were investigated for their self-healing, mechanical, viscoelastic and aqueous swelling/degradation properties. This study sets the basis for the development of well-defined polymeric dynamic covalent hydrogels where their self-healing and stability can be readily tuned.

Graphical abstract: Dually-dynamic covalent tetraPEG hydrogels end-linked with boronate ester and acylhydrazone groups

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
08 5月 2022
Accepted
25 7月 2022
First published
25 7月 2022

Soft Matter, 2022,18, 5966-5978

Dually-dynamic covalent tetraPEG hydrogels end-linked with boronate ester and acylhydrazone groups

C. Michael, D. E. Apostolides, C. S. Patrickios and T. Sakai, Soft Matter, 2022, 18, 5966 DOI: 10.1039/D2SM00594H

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements