Self‐Healable and Conductive Double‐Network Hydrogels with Bioactive Properties

AbstractNanocomposite hydrogels are a class of materials that are generally composed of hydrophilic polymers and nanofillers. They can have various important properties such as self‐healing, conductivity, toughness, bioactivity, facile processing ability, and this enables manifold practical applications. However, development of a single nanocomposite hydrogel with all of the properties of interest is yet to be realized. Here, a double‐network (DN) polymer hydrogel consisting of poly(vinyl alcohol)‐poly(sodium 4‐styrene sulfonate)‐poly(2‐aminoethylenemethacrylate) polymers (PVA‐P(NaSS)‐P(AEMA)) is reported. The obtained DN hydrogels containing copper ions, (PVA‐P(NaSS)‐P(AEMA)@Cu2+) hydrogel and copper nanoparticles (PVA‐P(NaSS)‐P(AEMA)@Cu) hydrogels, are found to exhibit self‐healing, conducting, high mechanical, bioactive, and wound healing properties. The fabricated hydrogel may potentially be applied in the biomedical and electronics sector.