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Hydrogel with Robust Adhesion in Various Liquid Environments by Electrostatic Induced Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Polymer Chains Migration and Rearrangement.

Chao FuLuli ShenLuqi LiuPing TaoLijing ZhuZhixiang ZengTianhui RenGang Wang
Published in: Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) (2023)
Hydrogels with wet adhesion are promising interfacial adhesive materials; however, their adhesion in water, oil, or organic solvents remains a major challenge. To address this, we fabricated a pressure-sensitive P(AAm-co-C 18 )/PTA-Fe hydrogel, which exhibited robust adhesion to various substrates in both aqueous solutions and oil environments. We demonstrated that the key to wet adhesion under liquid conditions is the removal of the interfacial liquid, which can be achieved through rational molecular composition regulation. By complexing with hydrophilic polymer networks, phosphotungstic acid (PTA) was introduced into the hydrogel network as a physical crosslinker and anchor point to improve the cohesion strength and drive the migration of polymer chains. The migration and rearrangement of hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymer chains on hydrogel surface were induced by the electrostatic interactions of Fe 3+ , which created a surface with interfacial water- and oil-removing properties. By co-regulating the hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymer chains, the P(AAm-co-C 18 )/PTA-Fe hydrogel was able to act as a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) under water and oils with adhesion strength of 92.6 and 90.0 kPa, respectively. We anticipate that this regulation strategy for polymer chains will promote the development of wet adhesion hydrogels, which could have a wide range of applications. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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