Compositional- and time-dependent dissipation, recovery and fracture toughness in hydrophobically reinforced hybrid hydrogels

The compositional- and time-dependent mechanical properties, recovery, and fracture toughness of hybrid gels having chemical and transient cross-links are systematically studied. The hybrid gels are prepared via micellar copolymerization of acrylamide (AAm) with n-Butyl acrylate (nBA) and the hydrophobic associations of nBA form the transient cross-links. The hybrid gels exhibited excellent mechanical properties (ultimate strength ∼ 400 kPa),...