Facile fabrication route of stretchable thin-film hydrogels with high strength

Thin-film hydrogels (TFHs) are promising for diverse applications such as biomedicine and tissue engineering, but their mechanical properties are often weakened at micrometer-scale thicknesses, limiting their use in biological membranes, artificial organs, drug delivery, and scaffolds. Synthesizing TFHs with reduced thicknesses that maintain robust mechanical characteristics is challenging due to susceptibility to defects. This study introduces a novel TFH (100 µm, ~ 60 wt% water) synthesized using hydrophobic benzene–benzene interactions as crosslinkers. The TFH exhibits impressive tensile strength (2.35 ± 0.5 MPa), Young’s modulus (4.7 ± 0.5 MPa), and work of extension (5.5 ± 0.5 MJ/m³). Additionally, these TFHs show exceptional stability in various environments, including deionized water, seawater, and physiological solutions. This synthesis method and the TFHs’ robust mechanical properties and environmental stability highlight their potential for practical applications in multiple industries, paving the way for significant advancements in TFH technology.

Fabrication process of stretchable thin film hydrogels with high strength.