One-pot preparation of tough, anti-swelling, antibacterial and conductive multiple-crosslinked hydrogels assisted by phytic acid and ferric trichloride

作者：Liu, Zhilang; Liu, Zhaoqing; Shu, Bo; Lian, Cuixia; Wu, Jialin; Wen, Qing; Wu, Jiahuan; Yang, Zhuohong^*; Zhou, Wuyi; Hu, Yang^*

来源：Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 2023, 140(32).

DOI：10.1002/app.54243

• antibacterial activity
• conductivity
• mechanical performance
• multiple-crosslinked hydrogel
• phytic acid
• polyvinyl alcohol
• swelling resistance

The flexible biodegradable polymer hydrogels have attracted increasing attention in the exploration of multifarious biomedical applications. However, conveniently achieving the synergistic characteristics of favorable mechanical performance, anti-swelling behavior, antibacterial activity and conductivity into a biodegradable hydrogel remains a significant challenge. In this aspect, we report a facile one-pot approach to prepare the multiple-crosslinked PVA (PVA/PA-Fe) hydrogels assisted by phytic acid (PA) and ferric trichloride. Firstly, PVA polymer chains and PA molecules form hydrogen bonds, meanwhile PA molecules interact with Fe3+ ions by ionic coordinations. Then, PVA polymer chains are crystallized by forming hydrogen bonds after cyclic freeze-thaw process. Based on the synergistic interactions of multiple hydrogen bonds and ionic coordinations in hydrogel system, PVA/PA-Fe hydrogels possess favorable tensile strength (1222.72 kPa), toughness (1.82 MJ/m(3)) and anti-swelling properties. Moreover, the introduction of PA and ferric trichloride successfully endows hydrogel with outstanding antimicrobial activity. Furthermore, the existence of H+ ions ionized by PA, Fe3+ and Cl- ions originating from ferric trichloride provides hydrogel with ionic conductivity (4.91 S/m) and strain responsiveness. Thus, the facile one-pot preparation approach basing on the multiple-crosslinked strategy would broaden the path for preparation of multifunctional hydrogels with promising biomedical applications, particularly smart flexible strain sensors.

• 单位
  y; 华南农业大学