A multistimuli-responsive fluorescent hydrogel based on a fluorescence response to macromolecular segmental motion

Botian Li; Bo Yan; Jian Wang; Yichi Zhang; Ziyan Qiu; Jundang Liang; Qiong Zhou

doi:10.1007/s12274-022-5361-8

Nano Research 2023, 16(10): 12098-12105 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-022-5361-8

Research Article | Issue | Published: 04 January 2023

A multistimuli-responsive fluorescent hydrogel based on a fluorescence response to macromolecular segmental motion

Show Author's Information Hide Author's Information Botian Li(

), Bo Yan, Jian Wang, Yichi Zhang, Ziyan Qiu, Jundang Liang, Qiong Zhou(

)

College of New Energy and Materials, China University of Petroleum, Beijing 102249, China

Keywords:

multistimuli response, fluorescent hydrogel, segment motion, biomimetic actuator, aggregation-induced emission (AIE)

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Fabrication

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Li B, Yan B, Wang J, et al. A multistimuli-responsive fluorescent hydrogel based on a fluorescence response to macromolecular segmental motion. Nano Research, 2023, 16(10): 12098-12105. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-022-5361-8

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Abstract

Fluorescent hydrogels with fast and reversible responses have attracted extensive attention, and it remains a challenge to design multistimuli-responsive fluorescent hydrogel through a facile and versatile method. Meanwhile, the segmental motion in hydrogels is of significance for the various functions of hydrogels such as chemical reactivity, self-healing, and mechanical strength, etc., however, it is difficult and complicated to in situ investigate the segmental motion under different conditions. In this work, a multistimuli-responsive fluorescent hydrogel was designed and fabricated by introducing a tetraphenylethylene (TPE) derivative as a nonaggregated crosslinker in the gel network. Since the intermolecular rotation of TPE at the crosslinking point was directly integrated with the dynamic conformational transition of the macromolecular network, the mobility of macromolecular segments can be monitored by the fluorescence intensity of the hydrogel. The prepared hydrogel has promising fluorescence responses to temperature, pH, metal ions, and hydrogen bonding agents, and characterization of the fluorescence and the chain segmental motion showed that the weaker the mobility of the network macromolecular chain is, the stronger the fluorescence intensity is. Furthermore, due to the multistimuli-responsive fluorescence of the hydrogel, such fluorescent hydrogels can be designed as reversible patterning displays and biomimetic color/shape adjustable actuators, with various potential applications.

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About this article

A multistimuli-responsive fluorescent hydrogel based on a fluorescence response to macromolecular segmental motion

Show Author's information Hide Author's Information Botian Li(

), Bo Yan, Jian Wang, Yichi Zhang, Ziyan Qiu, Jundang Liang, Qiong Zhou(

)

College of New Energy and Materials, China University of Petroleum, Beijing 102249, China

Abstract

Keywords: multistimuli response, fluorescent hydrogel, segment motion, biomimetic actuator, aggregation-induced emission (AIE)

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