A Novel Design Strategy for Fully Physically Linked Double Network Hydrogels with Tough, Fatigue Resistant, and Self‐Healing Properties

Double network (DN) hydrogels with two strong asymmetric networks being chemically linked have demonstrated their excellent mechanical properties as the toughest hydrogels, but chemically linked DN gels often exhibit negligible fatigue resistance and poor self‐healing property due to the irreversible chain breaks in covalent‐linked networks. Here, a new design strategy is proposed and demonstrated to improve both fatigue resistance and self‐healing property of DN gels by introducing a ductile, nonsoft gel with strong hydrophobic interactions as the second network. Based on this design strategy, a new type of fully physically cross‐linked Agar/hydrophobically associated polyacrylamide (HPAAm) DN gels are…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Award: U1304516
• HP
  Henan Polytechnic University

  Awards: Q2013-12A, B2010-6, MEM11-13, MEM13-08, 72105/001
• DO
  Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems