Morphogenesis is one of the most marvelous natural phenomena. The morphological characteristics of biological organs develop through growth, which is often triggered by mechanical force. In this study, we propose a bioinspired strategy for hydrogel morphogenesis through force-controlled chemical reaction and growth under isothermal conditions. We adopted a double network (DN) hydrogel with sacrificial bonds. Applying mechanical force to the gel caused deformation and sacrificial bond rupture. By supplying monomers to the gel, the radicals generated by the bond rupture triggered the formation of a new network inside the deformed gel. This new network conferred plasticity to the elastic gel, allowing it to maintain its deformed shape, along with increased volume and strength. We demonstrated that sheet-shaped DN hydrogels rapidly adopted various three-dimensional shapes at ambient temperature when subjected to forces such as drawing and blowing. This mechanism enables morphogenesis of elastic hydrogels and will promote the application of these materials in biomedical fields and soft machines.

中文翻译：

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力控制生长诱导的水凝胶形态发生


形态发生是最奇妙的自然现象之一。生物器官的形态特征是通过生长而形成的，而生长往往是由机械力触发的。在这项研究中，我们提出了一种通过力控制化学反应和等温条件下生长来实现水凝胶形态发生的仿生策略。我们采用了具有牺牲键的双网络（DN）水凝胶。对凝胶施加机械力会导致变形和牺牲键断裂。通过向凝胶提供单体，键断裂产生的自由基引发了变形凝胶内部新网络的形成。这种新的网络赋予弹性凝胶可塑性，使其能够保持变形的形状，同时增加体积和强度。我们证明，片状 DN 水凝胶在环境温度下受到拉力和吹气等力时会迅速呈现各种三维形状。这种机制使得弹性水凝胶能够形态发生，并将促进这些材料在生物医学领域和软机械中的应用。