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Facile tuning of hydrogel properties by manipulating cationic-aromatic monomer sequences

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Abstract

Copolymer hydrogels formed from cationic and aromatic monomers with identical monomer compositions but different average sequences were synthesized by free-radical copolymerization in various solvents. We found that hydrogels with one-component-rich segments are mechanically stronger than those with adjacent-rich monomer sequences in water, while hydrogels with a rich cation-π adjacent sequence showed excellent mechanical strength and underwater adhesion in saltwater (0.7 M NaCl). The molecular mechanisms for these behaviors are discussed in terms of polymer structures. This work reveals the importance of monomeric sequences in determining hydrogel properties and provides a facile approach to develop hydrogels with different properties but the same monomer composition.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant (JP17H06144, JP17H06376, JP21K14676), and Institute for Chemical Reaction Design and Discovery (WPI-ICReDD) established by World Premier International Research Initiative (WPI), MEXT, Japan. The authors thank Mr. Yoshiyuki Saruwatari at Osaka Organic Chemistry Co., Ltd., Japan for providing monomers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Chemical Reaction Design and Discovery (WPI-ICReDD), Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 001-0021, Japan

    Hailong Fan & Jian Ping Gong

  2. Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 001-0021, Japan

    Yirong Cai

  3. Faculty of Advanced Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 001-0021, Japan

    Jian Ping Gong

  4. Global Station for Soft Matter GI-CoRE, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 001-0021, Japan

    Jian Ping Gong

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  1. Hailong Fan
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  2. Yirong Cai
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  3. Jian Ping Gong
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Correspondence to Jian Ping Gong.

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Conflict of interest The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Fan, H., Cai, Y. & Gong, J.P. Facile tuning of hydrogel properties by manipulating cationic-aromatic monomer sequences. Sci. China Chem. 64, 1560–1568 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11426-021-1010-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11426-021-1010-3

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