Fabrication and extreme property of the hydrogel free of structural inhomogeneity

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K15630
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 35020:Polymer materials-related
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Nakagawa Shintaro 東京大学, 生産技術研究所, 助教 (40806642)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 架橋高分子 / ポリマーゲル / 構造欠陥 / 力学特性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Polymer gels, in which a network of polymer chains holding a large amount of solvent, are an important class of materials in our daily life. Polymer networks usually contain various structural defects, which often leads to mechanical weakness of the material. IN this study, a novel method to construct an almost defect-free polymer network was established. A precisely designed polymer called "macro-atom" was synthesized and mutually connected into a network. The obtained material had elasticity close to the theoretical prediction, indicating that the defects were largely suppressed.

Free Research Field

高分子科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ゲルに代表される架橋高分子は、我々の生活に欠かせない重要な材料である一方、その構造の精密な制御は困難であり、構造欠陥を完全に排除した理想的な材料はいまだ得られていない。本研究の成果はその架橋高分子の究極形に近づく大きな一歩であり、柔軟なゲルからより硬いゴムや熱硬化性樹脂など、幅広い架橋高分子材料の高性能化に貢献するものである。学術的にも、架橋高分子の未踏の極限物性に迫りうる手法を確立した点が意義深い。