Stretchable hydrogels with low hysteresis and anti-fatigue fracture based on polyprotein cross-linkers

Hai Lei, Liang Dong, Ying Li, Junsheng Zhang, Huiyan Chen, Junhua Wu, Yu Zhang, Qiyang Fan, Bin Xue, Meng Qin, Bin Chen, Yi Cao () and Wei Wang
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Hai Lei: Nanjing University
Liang Dong: Nanjing University
Ying Li: Nanjing University
Junsheng Zhang: Nanjing University
Huiyan Chen: Nanjing University
Junhua Wu: Nanjing University
Yu Zhang: Nanjing University
Qiyang Fan: Zhejiang University
Bin Xue: Nanjing University
Meng Qin: Nanjing University
Bin Chen: Zhejiang University
Yi Cao: Nanjing University
Wei Wang: Nanjing University

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Hydrogel-based devices are widely used as flexible electronics, biosensors, soft robots, and intelligent human-machine interfaces. In these applications, high stretchability, low hysteresis, and anti-fatigue fracture are essential but can be rarely met in the same hydrogels simultaneously. Here, we demonstrate a hydrogel design using tandem-repeat proteins as the cross-linkers and random coiled polymers as the percolating network. Such a design allows the polyprotein cross-linkers only to experience considerable forces at the fracture zone and unfold to prevent crack propagation. Thus, we are able to decouple the hysteresis-toughness correlation and create hydrogels of high stretchability (~1100%), low hysteresis (

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17877-z

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