Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogel Can Autonomously Self-Heal

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• 作者：Hongji Zhang ; Hesheng Xia ; Yue Zhao
• 刊名：ACS Macro Letters
• 出版年：2012
• 出版时间：November 20, 2012
• 年：2012
• 卷：1
• 期：11
• 页码：1233-1236
• 全文大小：229K
• 年卷期：v.1,no.11(November 20, 2012)
• ISSN：2161-1653

文摘

It is discovered that poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel prepared using the freezing/thawing method can self-repair at room temperature without the need for any stimulus or healing agent. The autonomous self-healing process can be fast for mechanically strong PVA hydrogel yielding a high fracture stress. Investigation on the effect of the hydrogel preparation conditions points out that hydrogen bonding between PVA chains across the interface of the cut surfaces is at the origin of the phenomenon. The key for an effective self-healing is to have an appropriate balance between high concentration of free hydroxyl groups on PVA chains on the cut surfaces prior to contact and sufficient PVA chain mobility in the hydrogel.