Unraveling the Gallol-Driven Assembly Mechanism of Thermoreversible Supramolecular Hydrogels Inspired by Ascidians

ALVAREZ IGARZABAL, CECILIA INES

Polymer Chemistry

Royal Chemistry

Año: 2020

1759-9954

olyphenol-based supramolecular hydrogels have recently attracted much attention assmart materials for applications in several technologies. Although great advances havebeen made in this field, there is a challenging need for creating new versatile materialsthat combine synthesis simplicity and suitable functional properties. In this work, inspiredby the hydrogen bonding ability of pyrogallol-bearing proteins found in ascidians, weexplored a small gallol-analog, gallic acid (GA), as a dynamic crosslinker of poly(vinylalcohol) (PVA). Fundamentals of the supramolecular assembly mechanism of PVA/GAhydrogels are studied for understanding the final properties of the obtained thermoreversiblehydrogels. The polymer deacetylation degree was a key factor to control thegelation kinetics, morphology, and properties of the supramolecular materials.Furthermore, the intercalation of GA molecules between PVA chains produced polymercrystals with a new spatial arrangement, modifying the elastic modulus