Slippery hydrogel with desiccation-tolerant ‘skin’ for high-precision additive manufacturing
Desheng Liu, Pan Jiang, Yue Hu, Yaozhong Lu, Yixian Wang, Jiayu Wu, Danli Hu, Tao Wu, Xiaolong Wang
Abstract
Highlights A bioinspired strategy is proposed to construct slippery hydrogel with desiccation-tolerant ‘skin’. The problems of dehydration, collapse, and deformation of hydrogel materials are solved. Lubrication properties of slippery hydrogel are improved by harnessing natural moisturizing factors. High-precision manufacturing of hydrogels with complicated geometries and customizable microstructures is realized.
Topics & Concepts
DesiccationSelf-healing hydrogelsMaterials scienceBotanyBiologyPolymer chemistryAdvanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials3D Printing in Biomedical ResearchAdditive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies