High‐Strength and Nonfouling Zwitterionic Triple‐Network Hydrogel in Saline Environments

Abstract

Zwitterionic hydrogels have received great attention due to their excellent nonfouling and biocompatible properties, but they suffer from weak mechanical strength in the saline environments important for biomedical and engineering applications due to the “anti‐polyelectrolyte” effect. Conventional strategies to introduce hydrophobic or non‐zwitterionic components to increase mechanical strength compromise their nonfouling properties. Here, a highly effective strategy is reported to achieve both high mechanical strength and excellent nonfouling properties by constructing a pure zwitterionic triple‐network (ZTN) hydrogel. The strong electrostatic interaction and network entanglement within the triple‐network structure can effectively dissipate energy to toughen the hydrogel and achieve high strength, toughness, and stiffness in saline environments (compressive fracture stress 18.2 ± 1.4 MPa, toughness 1.62 ± 0.03 MJ m–3, and modulus 0.66 ± 0.03 MPa in seawater environments). Moreover, the ZTN hydrogel is shown to strongly resist the attachment of proteins, bacteria, and cells. The results provide a fundamental understanding to guide the design of tough nonfouling zwitterionic hydrogels for a broad range of applications.

Synergistic Cation–Anion Regulation of Polysulfides by Zwitterionic Polymer Binder for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

“…[52,53] Moreover, the vibrations peak assigned to cationic quaternary ammonium group undergo a distinct redshift induced by the electrostatic coupling with anionic polysulfides. [54] The XPS analysis was also conducted to further study the interaction between ZIP binders and lithium polysulfides. The Li 1s spectrum of Li 2 S 6 displayed a characteristic peak at 54.6 eV assigned to the LiS bonding (Figure S14, Supporting Information).…”

Tough, Antifreezing, and Conductive Hydrogel Based on Gelatin and Oxidized Dextran

“…When the concentration was up to 30% w/v, the interactions between the positive (NH 4 + ) and negative (SO 4 2– ) ions increased, and the resulting decrease in conductivity was greater than the increase in conductivity caused by the increase in conductive particles. [ 40 ] Thereby, ionic mobility reduced to 4.38 S m −1 . To understand the change of conductivity of Gel‐OD hydrogel only soaked AMS solution, the conductivity of pure AMS solution was tested.…”

Recent Advances in Zwitterionic Hydrogels: Preparation, Property, and Biomedical Application

“…Recently, pure zwitterionic triple-network (ZTN) hydrogel was prepared to achieve high mechanical strength, excellent antifouling property, and overcome the anti-polyelectrolyte effect [ 52 ]. The poly (trimethylamine N-oxide) (PTMAO), a biomimetic polymer inspired by seawater fish, was used as the first network with high swelling properties.…”