open access

https://hdl.handle.net/2115/97815

Osmosis-Induced Mechanical Disintegration of Polymer Network Gels

英語

swelling

2025-05-19

Wiley-Blackwell

Small

21(27)

A polymer network soaked in its good solvent absorbs the solvent molecules to swell up. The structurally possible swelling range of a polymer network is from its dried state to the structural swelling limit where its network strands reach their stretching limit. However, swelling of a polymer network to near its structural limit has not been realized due to the thermodynamic limitation. Here, this research succeeds in excessive swelling of polymer networks to or even beyond their structural swelling limit. For the excess swelling, dense linear polymers are repeatedly introduced inside a polymer network of interest. The linear polymers, trapped inside the polymer network, generate extremely high osmotic pressure and make the polymer network swell excessively. The resulting polymer networks, overswollen beyond their structural limit, disintegrate into microgels due to catastrophic scission of the polymer network strands, analogous to osmotic hemolysis of red blood cells in a hypotonic solution. This research is expected to contribute to osmosis-induced mechanodegradation of polymer network materials and well-controlled, swelling-based mechanochemistry.

学術雑誌論文

Accepted Manuscript

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: S. Ohmura, K. Oikawa, T. Nishimura, R. Kiyama, J. P. Gong, T. Nakajima, Osmosis-Induced Mechanical Disintegration of Polymer Network Gels. Small 2025, 2503209. https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202503209, which has been published in final form at 10.1002/smll.202503209 . This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.

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