A self-reinforced tough and multifunctional polyvinyl alcohol fabric composite hydrogel

Abstract

It is particularly challenging to prepare hydrogels with excellent mechanical properties that are comparable to those of strong biological tissues such as ligaments and tendons. Here, we present a facile method to fabricate tough and multifunctional hydrogels by freeze-thawing the self-reinforced polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite prepared from acetal hydrolysis of commercial polyvinyl formal (PVFM) fabric. The resultant hydrogels exhibit simultaneously high tensile strength (18.5 MPa), toughness (14.7 ± 2.9 MJ/m3), tearing resistance (35 N/mm), flexibility and excellent environment adaptability without compromising transparency. In addition, this hydrogel has good ionic conductivity, which can be applied to strain sensors and touch screens, and with proper design, it is successfully applied in flexible actuators. These results indicate this hydrogel has great potential for applications in different fields such as smart wearable devices and bionic actuators. The preparation method proposed in this paper is simple and controllable, and the material properties can be customized to meet specific needs, opening up possibilities for large-scale production of hydogels.