Abstract
Living organisms are capable of dynamically changing their structures for adaptive functions through sophisticated reaction-diffusion processes. Here we show how active supramolecular hydrogels with programmable lifetimes and macroscopic structures can be created by relying on a simple reaction-diffusion strategy. Two hydrogel precursors (poly(acrylic acid) PAA/CaCl2 and Na2CO3) diffuse from different locations and generate amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) nanoparticles at the diffusional fronts, leading to the formation of hydrogel structures driven by electrostatic interactions between PAA and ACC nanoparticles. Interestingly, the formed hydrogels are capable of autonomously disintegrating over time because of a delayed influx of electrostatic-interaction inhibitors (NaCl). The hydrogel growth process is well explained by a reaction-diffusion model which offers a theoretical means to program the dynamic growth of structured hydrogels. Furthermore, we demonstrate a conceptual access to dynamic information storage in soft materials using the developed reaction-diffusion strategy. This work may serve as a starting point for the development of life-like materials with adaptive structures and functionalities.
Original language | English |
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Article number | e202310162 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Angewandte Chemie - International Edition |
Volume | 62 |
Issue number | 43 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-careOtherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.
Keywords
- Hydrogels
- Non-Equilibrium Systems
- Reaction-Diffusion
- Self-Assembly
- Supramolecular Materials