Rapid self-healable poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels formed by selective metal–phosphate interactions

Abstract

Rapid self-healable and biocompatible hydrogels were prepared using the selective formation of metal–ligand interactions between selected metal ions and phosphate end groups of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). The phosphate-terminated branch of PEG was synthesized via a substitution reaction of the hydroxyl end groups using phosphoryl chloride. The gelation and gel properties including rheological properties can be tuned by the careful selection of metal ions, branch numbers, and temperature. Especially, the gels rapidly formed by trivalent metal ions such as Fe³⁺, V³⁺, Al³⁺, Ti³⁺, and Ga³⁺ have relatively small ionic radii. The ligand substitution rates also affected the repeatable autonomic healing ability. We have also demonstrated a gel–sol/sol–gel transition by switching the redox states of Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ ions. Learning from biological systems, the proposed phosphate–metal ion based self-healable hydrogels could become an attractive candidate for various biomedical and environmental applications.