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Hydrogel/Elastomer Laminates Bonded via Fabric Interphases for Stimuli-Responsive Actuators
- Source :
- Matter; September 2019, Vol. 1 Issue: 3 p674-689, 16p
- Publication Year :
- 2019
-
Abstract
- The human body is composed of composite structures made of water-rich hydrophilic domains and hydrophobic barriers. Combining hydrogels with elastomers results in similar synthetic biomaterials applicable to fields ranging from stretchable electronics to actuators. Here, we report a method to combine hydrogels with elastomers via a glass fiber fabric interphase. The interphase plays two roles: it enables chemically different materials to be robustly bound without chemical treatment while also dramatically improving the mechanical properties of the composite. Maximum interfacial adhesion energies of ∼1,000 N m−1between the hydrogel and fabric and ∼360 N m−1between the elastomer and fabric approach adhesion values of chemically bound soft materials. The composite tearing toughness (143 kJ m−2) vastly exceeds that of all neat components. In these materials, Young's modulus is high (∼1.2 GPa), while bending modulus is low (∼7 MPa), resulting in structures that can serve as actuators through controlled solvent exposure.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 25902385
- Volume :
- 1
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- Supplemental Index
- Journal :
- Matter
- Publication Type :
- Periodical
- Accession number :
- ejs56266218
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matt.2019.04.008