Earlier this year, they were used to treat skin ulcers from patients suffering from diabetes; next, they were posited as the next reusable alternative to ice cubes. It appears that the continuous developments in the field of hydrogel research is catapulting the technology into new heights.
This new study is certainly a step in that direction; and much like the outstanding properties of the hydrogels before it, this too relies on its chemical and physical characteristics to enable its truly unique function. Unlike the previous hydrogels reported by our team, however, this one quite literally won’t break under pressure easily.
The new material, nicknamed the “super jelly” by its research team, was the result of a study published in the journal Nature Materials. This particularly strong hydrogel was the brainchild of a team of Cambridge University researchers guided by Professor Oren A. Scherman, director of the university’s very own Melville Laboratory for Polymer Synthesis.
The “super jelly” was made from polymer precursors that had high compatibility with its specially-selected crosslinkers, while also maintaining the ability to be modified to exhibit desired properties.
The authors used certain crosslinking molecules called cucurbiturils, which are barrel-shaped molecules that can “[hold] two guest molecules in its cavity—like a molecular handcuff,” according to the press release by Cambridge University.
“At 80% water content, you’d think it would burst apart like a water balloon, but it doesn’t: it stays intact and withstands huge compressive forces. The properties of the hydrogel are seemingly at odds with each other.” (Hydrogels are named as such due to their structural ability to “swell” in the presence of water, absorbing it in the process.)
Said co-author Dr. Jade McCune: “The way the hydrogel can withstand compression was surprising; it wasn’t like anything we’ve seen in hydrogels. We also found that the compressive strength could be easily controlled through simply changing the chemical structure of the guest molecule inside the [cucurbituril] handcuff.”
The team used this bizarre mix of polymer constituents to make a hydrogel pressure sensor that’s designed to monitor usual human motions, like walking or jumping. This engineered hydrogel looks and feels “soft” and “squishy” when interacted with normally. It does something truly exceptional when under compressive stress, however; it begins to act like “shatter-proof glass,” making it the first “glass-like” hydrogel of its kind.
“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that glass-like hydrogels have been made. We’re not just writing something new into the textbooks, which is really exciting, but we’re opening a new chapter in the area of high-performance soft materials,” said first author Dr. Zehuan Huang from the university’s Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry.
Much like its intended use, Dr. Scherman and team plan to continue their research into creating and modifying these glass-like hydrogels for bioelectronics applications.
References
- Huang, Z., Chen, X., O’Neill, S. J. K., Wu, G., Whitaker, D. J., Li, J., McCune, J. A., & Scherman, O. A. (2021). Highly compressible glass-like supramolecular polymer networks. Nature Materials, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-021-01124-x
- Nield, D. (2021, November 27). New ‘super jelly’ is 80 percent water and can survive being run over by a car. ScienceAlert. https://www.sciencealert.com/new-super-jelly-is-80-percent-water-and-can-survive-being-run-over-by-a-car
- ‘Super jelly’ can survive being run over by a car. (2021, November 25). University of Cambridge. https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/super-jelly-can-survive-being-run-over-by-a-car
