Nacre-liked material with tough and post-tunable mechanical properties

doi:10.1016/j.jmst.2021.11.018

Abstract

Abstract:

Biomaterials, often imparted time-dependent mechanical properties, which are promising in fields ranging from sensors to robotics. Here, a facile method was proposed to fabricate post-tunable mechanical properties composites based on hydrogels and ceramic nanofiller. The wide tunable range of Young's modulus (27.3 kPa to 3.5 GPa) and ultimate stress (173 kPa to 102 MPa) can be achieved by combining solvent absorption and evaporation process with platelets reinforcement effect. Additionally, a large fracture toughness (∼32,000 J m^-2) is obtained as a result of the nacre-liked “brick and mortar” structure introduced by shear force during fabrication. The superior flexibility and designability of this material were demonstrated via actuators, portable structure, and metamaterials. Above all, this study provides a new thought to fabricate tough materials with post-tunable mechanical properties.

Key words: Mechanical property, Post-tunable, Hydrogels, Fracture toughness

Zhengyi Mao, Mengke Huo, Fucong Lyu, Yongsen Zhou, Yu Bu, Lei Wan, Lulu Pan, Jie Pan, Hui Liu, Jian Lu. Nacre-liked material with tough and post-tunable mechanical properties[J]. J. Mater. Sci. Technol., 2022, 114: 172-179.

Figures/Tables 6

Fig. 1. Preparation of HBC. (a) Fabrication process of HBC. (b) Schematic of the components of the HBC. (c, d) The mechanical performances of swelled and dried HBC.

Fig. 2. Microstructures of HBC during hydration and dehydration. (a) The variation in the DP and water content with swelling and drying time. (b) The SEM images of HBC with different treatment times. (i) Solvent absorption for 6 h and (ii) 2 h. (iii) Fabricated HBC and (iv) solvent evaporation for 2 h. Scale bars for the upper and under rows are 50 μm and 10 μm, respectively. (c) Reversibility of the “brick and mortar” structure for several swelling and drying cycles. Completely dried HBC after 3, 9, and 5 cycles. The domains were colored by image J based on their orientations. (d) The orientation of alumina platelets after many cycles. All samples exhibit a similar peak at 0°.

Fig. 3. Mechanical tests of HBC. (a) Uniaxial tensile tests of HBCs with different swelling times. Inset shows a dumb-bell-shaped sample for uniaxial tests. (b) The relationship between Young's modulus and swelling time. (c) Uniaxial tensile tests result from HBCs with different solvent evaporation times. Inset shows the stress-strain curves of samples dried for 4 h and 24 h. (d) The relationship between Young's modulus and drying time. The scale bars are 50 µm, 10 µm, and 5 µm, respectively. (e) The variation of the ultimate stress with swelling time or drying time. (f) Left frame shows the mechanism of hydrogel network dominated stretch (State I) in (e). The SEM image shows the porous hydrogel matrix. Right frame shows the mechanism of hydrogel block dominated stretch (State II) in (e). The SEM image shows the dehydrated polymer matrix and the embedded alumina platelets.

Fig. 4. Fracture toughness of the HBC (a) Stress-strain curve of HBC sample without notch. (b) Stress-strain curve of the sample with a notch. (c) Tension test of HBC with a notch. λ represents the strain of the HBC. (d) Tough mechanism of HBC compared with pristine hydrogel. (e) Fracturing surface of HBC.

Fig. 5. Tunable mechanical property and high fracture toughness of HBC. (a) Comparison of HBC's tunable Young's modulus range with other biomaterials. (b) Comparison of fracture toughness and Young's moduli among HBC and other reported hydrogels.

Fig. 6. Demonstration of HBC as actuator. (a) The fabricated HBC is flat and soft. After solvent evaporation the structure is concave and stiff. When placed back in water it bent to another side due to HBC swelling. (b) Measurement of the holding force of the bend actuator. The actuator was connected with a tensile tester and the ring was fixed on the ground.

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