Advances in research on the mechanical property enhancement and typical applications of hydrogels
Hydrogels hold great promise in various high-tech fields such as biomedicine,brain-machine interfaces,flexible sensors,and soft actuators.However,they still face mechanical challenges when encountering different application environments,including susceptibility to tensile fracture,plastic deformation,and fatigue failure,which severely limit their application range.To enhance the mechanical properties of hydrogels to adapt to different working conditions,this study makes a comprehensive review of the mechanical properties of current hydrogel formulations and typical applications of various mechanically reinforced hydrogels.First,the composition of hydrogels is introduced,including natural polymer hydrogels and synthetic polymer hydrogels.Then,by systematically summarizing the mechanical characteristics and reinforcement methods of different hydrogels,the optimization pathways of mechanical properties such as tensile strength,adhesive strength,and fatigue threshold are analyzed in depth.Last,potential application scenarios for hydrogels with excellent mechanical properties are identified,and future development directions are discussed.This review provides a diverse perspective and solutions for enhancing the mechanical properties of hydrogels,providing scientific guidance for designing novel hydrogel materials tailored to specific requirements.