Hydrogel adhesion that can be easily modulated in magnitude, space, and time
is desirable in many emerging applications ranging from tissue engineering, and
soft robotics, to wearable devices. In synthetic materials, these complex
adhesion behaviors are often achieved individually with mechanisms and
apparatus that are difficult to integrate. Here, we report a universal strategy
to embody multifaceted adhesion programmability in synthetic hydrogels. By
designing the surface network topology of a hydrogel, supramolecular linkages
that result in contrasting adhesion behaviors are formed on the hydrogel
interface. The incorporation of different topological linkages leads to
dynamically tunable adhesion with high-resolution spatial programmability
without alteration of bulk mechanics and chemistry. Further, the association of
linkages enables stable and tunable adhesion kinetics that can be tailored to
suit different applications. We rationalize the physics of chain slippage,
rupture, and diffusion that underpins emergent programmable behaviors. We then
incorporate the strategy into the designs of various devices such as smart
wound patches, fluidic channels, drug-eluting devices, and reconfigurable soft
robotics. Our study presents a simple and robust platform in which adhesion
controllability in multiple aspects can be easily integrated into a single
design of a hydrogel network