Highly Elastic Supramolecular Hydrogels Using Host–Guest
Inclusion Complexes with Cyclodextrins
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Abstract
Supramolecular hydrogels, which are
cross-linked via host–guest interactions, show high-performance
physical properties, such as elasticity and toughness. Herein we prepare
a supramolecular hydrogel without chemical cross-linker. The supramolecular
hydrogel was prepared by polymerization of the inclusion complexes
between β-cyclodextrin acrylamide and adamantane acrylamide
monomers. The β-cyclodextrin–adamantane gel (βCD–Ad
gel) shows a high stretching property (990%). The initial strain (0%)
is restored in several minutes for a βCD–Ad gel stretched
to 180% of the initial strain without altering the physical history.
However, chemically cross-linked poly(acrylamide) does not show the
reversible stretching property. These results indicate that host–guest
interaction inside the supramolecular hydrogel plays an important
role in the shape recovery properties