10.1021/acs.nanolett.9b02343.s001
Si Hyun Kim
Si Hyun
Kim
Seungbae Oh
Seungbae
Oh
Sudong Chae
Sudong
Chae
Jin Woong Lee
Jin Woong
Lee
Kyung Hwan Choi
Kyung Hwan
Choi
Kyung Eun Lee
Kyung Eun
Lee
Jongwha Chang
Jongwha
Chang
Liyi Shi
Liyi
Shi
Jae-Young Choi
Jae-Young
Choi
Jung Heon Lee
Jung Heon
Lee
Exceptional Mechanical Properties of Phase-Separation-Free
Mo<sub>3</sub>Se<sub>3</sub><sup>–</sup>‑Chain-Reinforced
Hydrogel Prepared by Polymer Wrapping Process
American Chemical Society
2019
nanowire
gelatin matrix
gelatin hydrogel
Mo
Polymer Wrapping Process
Se
Exceptional Mechanical Properties
gelatin hydrogel exhibits
2019-08-05 21:03:28
Journal contribution
https://acs.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Exceptional_Mechanical_Properties_of_Phase-Separation-Free_Mo_sub_3_sub_Se_sub_3_sub_sup_sup_Chain-Reinforced_Hydrogel_Prepared_by_Polymer_Wrapping_Process/9252959
As
Mo<sub>3</sub>Se<sub>3</sub><sup>–</sup> chain nanowires
have dimensions comparable to those of natural hydrogel chains (molecular-level
diameters of ∼0.6 nm and lengths of several micrometers) and
excellent mechanical strength and flexibility, they have large potential
to reinforce hydrogels and improve their mechanical properties. When
a Mo<sub>3</sub>Se<sub>3</sub><sup>–</sup>-chain-nanowire-gelatin
composite hydrogel is prepared simply by mixing Mo<sub>3</sub>Se<sub>3</sub><sup>–</sup> nanowires with gelatin, phase separation
of the Mo<sub>3</sub>Se<sub>3</sub><sup>–</sup> nanowires from
the gelatin matrix occurs in the micronetwork, providing only small
improvements in their mechanical properties. In contrast, when the
surface of the Mo<sub>3</sub>Se<sub>3</sub><sup>–</sup> nanowire
is wrapped with the gelatin polymer, the chemical compatibility of
the Mo<sub>3</sub>Se<sub>3</sub><sup>–</sup> nanowire with
the gelatin matrix is significantly improved, which enables the fabrication
of a phase-separation-free Mo<sub>3</sub>Se<sub>3</sub><sup>–</sup>-reinforced gelatin hydrogel. The composite gelatin hydrogel exhibits
significantly improved mechanical properties, including a tensile
strength of 27.6 kPa, fracture toughness of 26.9 kJ/m<sup>3</sup>,
and elastic modulus of 54.8 kPa, which are 367%, 868%, and 378% higher
than those of the pure gelatin hydrogel, respectively. Furthermore,
the amount of Mo<sub>3</sub>Se<sub>3</sub><sup>–</sup> nanowires
added in the composite hydrogel is as low as 0.01 wt %. The improvements
in the mechanical properties are significantly larger than those for
other reported composite hydrogels reinforced with one-dimensional
materials.