Extraordinarily large swelling energy of iodine‐treated poly(vinyl alcohol) demonstrated by jump of a film

Abstract

Organic material characteristics of volume change and stress generation have attracted the attention of many researchers aiming to develop chemomechanical systems such as artificial muscles and polymer engines having the advantages of high energy density and silent operation. Although polymer gels offer a relatively large actuator stroke, their mechanical properties are relatively poor and the working temperature is relatively low, often limited by the evaporation of liquid if contained. We have developed an iodine-treated poly(vinyl alcohol) having extraordinarily large vapor-induced deswelling stress reaching 59 MPa, which is one to two orders of magnitude greater than those of ordinary polymer gels. Furthermore, this material has extremely large volumetric and gravimetric energy densities reaching 1.3 × 106 J m−3 and 9.6 × 102 J kg−1, respectively, and an elastic modulus of a few GPa and is heat-resistant to at least 200 °C. The high performance of this material can be demonstrated by a jump of a film. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014, 52, 1357–1365

A Gelated Colloidal Crystal Attached Lens for Noninvasive Continuous Monitoring of Tear Glucose

“…The initial studies verified the use of the sensitive hydrogel-based colloidal crystal as a contact lens sensor. For tear glucose monitoring, the potential toxicity should be taken into careful consideration as the GCCA-lenses are designed for close interaction with the surface of eyes and its surrounding tissue [ 42 , 43 , 44 ]. Though the sensor was constructed without any acute cytotoxic material, the biocompatibility was firstly examined by quantitative analysis of cell proliferation activity by CCK-8 assay and analysis of morphology from fluorescence micrographs.…”