Posted by Stretchable slide-ring hydrogels are typically soft because of an elasticity-toughness trade-off. Herein, Ke et al. have developed crystalline-domain-reinforced double-threaded slide-ring networks by introducing a proslide-ring crosslinker synthesized through the self-assembly of gamma-cyclodextrins and telechelic polyethylene glycols. 3D-printable rigid and tough slide-ring hydrogels were obtained. The modular reactivity of the proslide-ring crosslinker enables a high-throughput synthesis, resulting in a library of slide-ring hydrogels with varying mechanical properties. The structure-property relationships of these hydrogels were illustrated by using data science tools, leading to the discovery of superior hydrogels. A high-performance 3D-printed stress sensor was fabricated to show the potential of this design. Introducing a modular pro-slide-ring crosslinker with a clearly illustrated structure-property relationship greatly accelerates the discovery of mechanically robust slide-ringbased soft materials.
Miao Tang, Dan Zheng, Jayanta Samanta, Esther H.R. Tsai, Huibin Qiu, Jacquelyne A. Read, Chenfeng Ke (2023) Reinforced double-threaded slide-ring networks for accelerated hydrogel discovery and 3D printing. Chem 9, 3515–3531. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chempr.2023.07.020