Abstract:
Strong adhesion of hydrogels remains a challenge due to the large amount of water in hydrogels. Hydrogel adhesion is primarily influenced by bond chemistries, network topologies, and energy dissipation mechanisms. Hydrogel based adhesive materials have a lot of promise because of their softness, antifouling ability, shock-absorbing capacity, and compatibility with living tissues. However, majority of traditional hydrogels have shown poor adhesion properties to different substrates, including different gel surface. In this study, a new strategy has been developed for making adhesive hydrogel by using graphene oxide based crosslinker (GOBC). The GOBC has multifunctional crosslinking ability to enhance adhesive behavior in hydrogel. Polyacrylic acid (PAA) and polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogels were prepared by the incorporation of different composition of GOBC. The adhesive test has been performed to compare the adhesive strength of prepared adhesive hydrogels. The mechanical test also has been performed to compare the mechanical properties of adhesive hydrogels. The adhesive properties of GOBC crosslinked polyacrylic acid (PAA-GOBC) hydrogels and GOBC crosslinked polyacrylamide (PAM-GOBC) hydrogels were observed by adhesive force-displacement behavior. From the FC vs √(A/C) plot (FC is maximum force capacity, A is area of contact, C is compliance) the GC (energy release rate) values of PAA-GOBC and PAM-GOBC have been calculated. By comparing these values with polydimetylsiloxane (PDMS) has been gotten the proper conclusion of adhesive property of PAA-GOBC and PAM-GOBC hydrogels. This modification of GOBC hydrogels with good adhesive properties are expected to broaden the application of the adhesive hydrogels in biomedical engineering.