Functional Tough Hydrogels: Design, Processing, and Biomedical Applications

作者：Xiao Kuang, Mehmet Onur Arıcan, Tao Zhou, Xuanhe Zhao, Yu Shrike Zhang · 发表于：Accounts of Materials Research · 年份：2022 · DOI：10.1021/accountsmr.2c00026 · 被引用次数：145 · 研究领域：Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications、3D Printing in Biomedical Research、Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials

Conspectus Hydrogels are high-water-content soft materials with widely tunable physicochemical properties, resembling soft tissues. Tremendous progress in engineering hydrogels with good biocompatibility, suitable bioactivities, and controlled geometries has made them promising candidates for broad applications. Nevertheless, conventional hydrogels usually suffer from weak mechanical properties, limiting their use in biomedical settings involving load-bearing and persistent mechanical deformations. Inspired by the extreme mechanical properties and multiscale hierarchical structures of biological tissues, mechanically robust tough hydrogels have been developed. Combining robust mechanical properties and other desired performance characteristics in functional tough hydrogels expands their opportunities in biomedical fields. This Account seeks to guide the readership regarding the recent progress in functional tough hydrogels with a focus on molecular/structural design and novel fabrications, particularly surrounding the works reported by our groups. Meanwhile, functional tough hydrogels for multiple biomedical applications are discussed, highlighting the underlying mechanisms governing their relevant applications. We begin by introducing the definition, measurements, and design principles of tough hydrogels and hydrogel adhesives in terms of soft materials mechanics. Various molecular and structural engineering approaches by building mechanical dissipation into stretchable hydr...