Microfluidic-Directed Hydrogel Fabrics Based on Interfibrillar Self-Healing Effects

2018 
Multistructural and versatile fibers have attracted enormous interests in various potential applications ranging from tissue engineering and cells to sensors. However, the controllable fabrication and nonwoven assembly of fibers remain a challenge. Here, we developed a novel strategy to in situ fabricate supramolecular hydrogel fibers via microfluidic spinning technology where self-healing fibers can be nonwoven assembled into fabrics through noncovalent interactions (host–guest interactions). We utilized β-cyclodextrin as the host molecule and N-vinylimidazole as the guest molecule to achieve self-healing supramolecular hydrogel fibers. Through design of different microreactors, the beaded, cylindrical, and knotted structure in fibers were achieved. Additionally, we constructed multidimensional (2D plane, 3D bulk, and 3D spiral textile) materials by using self-healing fibers as building blocks. In virtue of the host–guest assembly, the as-fabricated fabric exhibits high flexibility with high strength and...
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