Entropy‐Mediated Polymer–Cluster Interactions Enable Dramatic Thermal Stiffening Hydrogels for Mechanoadaptive Smart Fabrics

Thermal stiffening materials that are naturally soft but adaptively self‐strengthen upon heat are intriguing for load‐bearing and self‐protection applications at elevated temperatures. However, to simultaneously achieve high modulus change amplitude and high mechanical strength at the stiffened stat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2022-08, Vol.61 (34), p.e202204960-n/a
Main Authors: Wu, Jia, Wu, Baohu, Xiong, Jiaqing, Sun, Shengtong, Wu, Peiyi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptive Materials
Clusters
Entropy
Fabrics
Fibers
High temperature
Hydrogels
Liquid metals
Liquid phases
Mechanical properties
Metal fibers
Microprocessors
Polymers
Sensing
Sheaths
Smart Fabrics
Smart materials
Stiffening
Storage modulus
Textile composites
Thermal Stiffening
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Summary:Thermal stiffening materials that are naturally soft but adaptively self‐strengthen upon heat are intriguing for load‐bearing and self‐protection applications at elevated temperatures. However, to simultaneously achieve high modulus change amplitude and high mechanical strength at the stiffened state remains challenging. Herein, entropy‐mediated polymer–mineral cluster interactions are exploited to afford thermal stiffening hydrogels with a record‐high storage modulus enhancement of 13 000 times covering a super wide regime from 1.3 kPa to 17 MPa. Such a dramatic thermal stiffening effect is ascribed to the transition from liquid‐liquid to solid–liquid phase separations, and at the molecular level, driven by enhanced polymer–cluster interactions. The hydrogel is further processed into sheath–core fibers and smart fabrics, which demonstrate self‐strengthening and self‐powered sensing properties by co‐weaving another liquid metal fiber as both the joule heater and triboelectric layer. Entropy‐mediated polymer–cluster interactions are explored to fabricate thermal stiffening mineral hydrogels with a dramatic stiffening response. Owing to the occurrence of solid–liquid phase separation, the hydrogel demonstrates an unprecedented modulus enhancement of 13000 times upon heating. The stiffening response can be further utilized by mineral hydrogel‐based smart fabrics, which freely adjust their stiffness at different temperatures.
ISSN:1433-7851
1521-3773
DOI:10.1002/anie.202204960