Dual-Temperature/pH-Sensitive Hydrogels with Excellent Strength and Toughness Crosslinked Using Three Crosslinking Methods
Jiaqi Wang,
Wanying Yang,
Yutong Li,
Xuerong Ma,
Yuxin Xie,
Guangyan Zhou,
Shouxin Liu
Affiliations
Jiaqi Wang
Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China
Wanying Yang
Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China
Yutong Li
Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China
Xuerong Ma
Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China
Yuxin Xie
Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China
Guangyan Zhou
Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China
Shouxin Liu
Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China
Hydrogels are widely used as excellent drug carriers in the field of biomedicine. However, their application in medicine is limited by their poor mechanical properties and softness. To improve the mechanical properties of hydrogels, a novel triple-network amphiphilic hydrogel with three overlapping crosslinking methods using a one-pot free-radical polymerization was synthesized in this study. Temperature-sensitive and pH-sensitive monomers were incorporated into the hydrogel to confer stimulus responsiveness, making the hydrogel stimuli-responsive. The successful synthesis of the hydrogel was confirmed using techniques, such as proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). In order to compare and analyze the properties of physically crosslinked hydrogels, physically–chemically double-crosslinked hydrogels, and physically–chemically clicked triple-crosslinked hydrogels, various tests were conducted on the gels’ morphology, swelling behavior, thermal stability, mechanical properties, and drug loading capacity. The results indicate that the triple-crosslinked hydrogel maintains low swelling, high mechanical strength, and good thermal stability while not significantly compromising its drug delivery capability.
