Anti-freezing and thermally self-healing polymer composite comprising polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene oxide, and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose

Hydrogel composites were prepared using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyethylene oxide (PEO), and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (NaCMC). The thermally responsive PVA/PEO/NaCMC composites exhibited self-healing at 70 °C within 20 min, which could be reduced to 15 min by adding excess PVA. Additionally, the PVA/PEO/NaCMC hydrogel displayed excellent flexibility and anti-freezing effects even at −70 ℃. The structure and morphology of the...