中国物理B ›› 2023, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (8): 88103-088103.doi: 10.1088/1674-1056/acdfc2

所属专题: SPECIAL TOPIC — Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Physics Discipline of Xiamen University

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Improving physical properties of poly(vinyl alcohol)/montmorillonite nanocomposite hydrogels via the Hofmeister effect

Rongrong Guo(郭蓉蓉)1, Deshuai Yu(余德帅)1, Yifan Huang(黄一帆)1, Sen Wang(王森)1, Cong Fu(付聪)1, Shuihong Zhu(朱水洪)1, Jia Yi(易佳)2, Hanqi Wang(王涵淇)2, and Youhui Lin(林友辉)1,2,†   

  1. 1. Department of Physics, Research Institute for Biomimetics and Soft Matter, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Soft Functional Materials Research, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China;
    2. National Institute for Data Science in Health and Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
  • 收稿日期:2023-04-20 修回日期:2023-05-26 接受日期:2023-06-20 发布日期:2023-07-27
  • 通讯作者: Youhui Lin E-mail:linyouhui@xmu.edu.cn
  • 基金资助:
    Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.12274356), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(Grant No.20720220022), and the 111 Project (Grant No.B16029).

Improving physical properties of poly(vinyl alcohol)/montmorillonite nanocomposite hydrogels via the Hofmeister effect

Rongrong Guo(郭蓉蓉)1, Deshuai Yu(余德帅)1, Yifan Huang(黄一帆)1, Sen Wang(王森)1, Cong Fu(付聪)1, Shuihong Zhu(朱水洪)1, Jia Yi(易佳)2, Hanqi Wang(王涵淇)2, and Youhui Lin(林友辉)1,2,†   

  1. 1. Department of Physics, Research Institute for Biomimetics and Soft Matter, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Soft Functional Materials Research, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China;
    2. National Institute for Data Science in Health and Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
  • Received:2023-04-20 Revised:2023-05-26 Accepted:2023-06-20 Published:2023-07-27
  • Contact: Youhui Lin E-mail:linyouhui@xmu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.12274356), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(Grant No.20720220022), and the 111 Project (Grant No.B16029).

摘要: Hydrogel is a kind of three-dimensional crosslinked polymer material with high moisture content. However, due to the network defects of polymer gels, traditional hydrogels are usually brittle and fragile, which limits their practical applications. Herein, we present a Hofmeister effect-aided facile strategy to prepare high-performance poly(vinyl alcohol)/montmorillonite nanocomposite hydrogels. Layered montmorillonite nanosheets can not only serve as crosslinking agents to enhance the mechanical properties of the hydrogel but also promote the ion conduction. More importantly, based on the Hofmeister effect, the presence of (NH4)2SO4 can endow nanocomposite hydrogels with excellent mechanical properties by affecting PVA chains' aggregation state and crystallinity. As a result, the as-prepared nanocomposite hydrogels possess unique physical properties, including robust mechanical and electrical properties. The as-prepared hydrogels can be further assembled into a high-performance flexible sensor, which can sensitively detect large-scale and small-scale human activities. The simple design concept of this work is believed to provide a new prospect for developing robust nanocomposite hydrogels and flexible devices in the future.

关键词: nanocomposite hydrogels, Hofmeister effect, network structure, poly(vinyl alcohol), montmorillonite

Abstract: Hydrogel is a kind of three-dimensional crosslinked polymer material with high moisture content. However, due to the network defects of polymer gels, traditional hydrogels are usually brittle and fragile, which limits their practical applications. Herein, we present a Hofmeister effect-aided facile strategy to prepare high-performance poly(vinyl alcohol)/montmorillonite nanocomposite hydrogels. Layered montmorillonite nanosheets can not only serve as crosslinking agents to enhance the mechanical properties of the hydrogel but also promote the ion conduction. More importantly, based on the Hofmeister effect, the presence of (NH4)2SO4 can endow nanocomposite hydrogels with excellent mechanical properties by affecting PVA chains' aggregation state and crystallinity. As a result, the as-prepared nanocomposite hydrogels possess unique physical properties, including robust mechanical and electrical properties. The as-prepared hydrogels can be further assembled into a high-performance flexible sensor, which can sensitively detect large-scale and small-scale human activities. The simple design concept of this work is believed to provide a new prospect for developing robust nanocomposite hydrogels and flexible devices in the future.

Key words: nanocomposite hydrogels, Hofmeister effect, network structure, poly(vinyl alcohol), montmorillonite

中图分类号:  (Reinforced polymers and polymer-based composites)

  • 81.05.Qk
81.07.-b (Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization)