@article{Li2026, 
author = {Zewei Li and Yuzhu Cui and Shihao Zhou and Zongshu Li and Mingliang Zhao and Shuxue Wang and Yongxin Duan and Jianming Zhang and Lu Zong},
title = {Architecting nanoconfined multiphase gels as a reprocessable and multistimuli-responsive 4D printing platform},
year = {2026},
journal = {Nano Research},
volume = {19},
number = {7},
pages = {94908644},
keywords = {multiphase gel, shape memory, nanoconfined, reprocessability, four-dimensional (4D printing},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/NR.2026.94908644},
doi = {10.26599/NR.2026.94908644},
abstract = {Four-dimensional (4D)-printed shape memory gels (SMGs) have shown great potential for bionic scaffolds and soft robotics. However, their practical deployment is often limited by insufficient mechanical strength and reprocessability. Here, a nanoconfined multiphase gel strategy to develop reprocessable and multistimuli-responsive 4D-printed SMGs is proposed. The developed poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/chitin nanocrystals (ChNC)/paraffin wax (PW) multiphase gel (PCPG) employs zwitterionic ChNC as interfacial stabilizers to construct a nanoconfined environment through abundant interfacial interactions, including hydrophobic interactions with the paraffin (PW) microphase and hydrogen bonding with the PVA gel matrix. These synergistic interactions lead to a remarkable enhancement in tensile strength (by ~ 50%, up to ~ 1 MPa). A high loading of phase-change PW (volume fraction > 70%) imparts outstanding shape memory properties and printability, with fixation and recovery ratios both exceeding 95%, along with high responsiveness to both thermal and acoustic stimuli. Importantly, the dynamically crosslinked network combined with efficient nanoconfinement enables excellent reprocessability, and the 4D-printed PCPG retains over 85% of its original mechanical and shape memory performance after ten reprocessing cycles. This strategy successfully merges nanoconfinement design with reprocessability, providing a sustainable platform for high-performance 4D-printed bionic scaffolds.}
}