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Bioinspired supramolecular fibers drawn from a multiphase self-assembled hydrogel

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

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Authors

Abstract

Inspired by biological systems, we report a supramolecular polymer–colloidal hydrogel (SPCH) composed of 98 wt % water that can be readily drawn into uniform ($\sim$6-μm thick) “supramolecular fibers” at room temperature. Functionalized polymer-grafted silica nanoparticles, a semicrystalline hydroxyethyl cellulose derivative, and cucurbit[8]uril undergo aqueous self-assembly at multiple length scales to form the SPCH facilitated by host–guest interactions at the molecular level and nanofibril formation at colloidal-length scale. The fibers exhibit a unique combination of stiffness and high damping capacity (60–70%), the latter exceeding that of even biological silks and cellulose-based viscose rayon. The remarkable damping performance of the hierarchically structured fibers is proposed to arise from the complex combination and interactions of “hard” and “soft” phases within the SPCH and its constituents. SPCH represents a class of hybrid supramolecular composites, opening a window into fiber technology through low-energy manufacturing.

Description

Keywords

supramolecular fiber, hydrogel, self-assembly, damping, spider silk

Journal Title

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0027-8424
1091-6490

Volume Title

114

Publisher

National Academy of Sciences
Sponsorship
Leverhulme Trust (RP2013-SL-008)
EPSRC (1375116)
European Commission (607602)
European Research Council (240629)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/F035535/1)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/H046593/1)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/L504920/1)
RCUK | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Valid : Yuchao Wu EP/H046593/1 Leverhulme Trust Valid : Darshil U. Shah, Michael H. Ramage, Oren A. Scherman RP2013-SL-008,Programme Grant, Natural Material Innovation for Sustainable Living RCUK | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Valid : Oren A. Scherman EP/F0355351 Oren A. Scherman ASPiRe,240629 European Commission (EC) Valid : Ji Liu Marie Curie ITN SASSYPOL 607602 China Scholarship Council (CSC) Valid : Chenyan Liu, Xiaohe Ren CSC-Cambridge PhD Scholarships