Self-Reinforcement of Alginate Hydrogel via Conformational Control

Abstract Alginate hydrogel with high stretchability and toughness was prepared using binary solvent system consisting of water and glycerol. The mechanical performance was achieved via conformational control for the alginate molecules using water/glycerol binary system. The conformational characteristics of the alginate chains in glycerol/water solution were systematically investigated by spectroscopic analysis and rheological approach. The glycerol in the solution deconstructed intra-hydrogen bonding of alginate molecules, resulting in an increase of chain flexibility and hydrodynamic volume. The flexible chains had more chance to be entangled with the neighboring chains. The inter-molecular entanglement effectively transferred the stress and hindered crack propagation. The study provides fundamental insight for the design of alginate hydrogel with high stretchability and toughness.