Tunicate cellulose nanocrystal reinforced polyacrylamide hydrogels with tunable mechanical performance

Tunicate cellulose nanocrystals (TCNCs) are widely used as nanofillers for the reinforcements of polymeric materials because of their high aspect ratio and modulus. However, poor interfacial compatibility between TCNCs and polymer matrix always weakens the mechanical performance of nanocomposite materials. Herein, novel nanocomposite hydrogels composed of TCNCs and polyacrylamide (PAM) were generated by chemical crosslinking of PAM with TCNCs that worked as both multifunctional crosslinkers and interfacial compatible nanofillers. Our strategy for the preparation of hydrogels avoided using any toxic crosslinking agent. The morphology, swelling behavior, and mechanical properties of nanocomposite hydrogels could be tuned by varying the amount of initiator. This work provided a simple, universal, and sustainable method to synthesize nanocomposite hydrogels with tunable mechanical performance. Graphical abstract