【Frontiers in HaiChuan Chemical Technology】Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics develops highly robust reconfigurable cellulose photonic hydrogels

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A highly robust cellulose photonic hydrogel with reconfigurability has been developed. Recently, the research team led by Researcher Qing Guangyan from the Group on Biological Separation and Interfacial Molecular Mechanisms (Group 1824) in the Biotechnology Research Department of the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics designed and synthesized a highly robust cellulose photonic hydrogel that possesses reconfigurability and mechanical color change properties. This preparation method opens up a new pathway for the creation of robust photonic hydrogels, and their intelligent optical response properties hold the potential to expand the applications of biomimetic photonic cellulose materials in medical, energy, and industrial fields. The Bouligand-like structure in nature exhibits excellent mechanical properties due to its interlayer coupling and stress transfer mechanisms, which has inspired the development of high-performance materials such as impact-resistant bioplastics, ceramic protective garments, and biomimetic alloy composites. Although significant progress has been made in engineering plasticity via molecular-level design and multi-scale structural optimization for biomimetic Bouligand structures, most existing materials are composed of single-scale brittle units, lacking hierarchical active interfaces and self-responsive capabilities, which limits their ductility and functionality. Therefore, it is necessary to overcome the existing design limitations and develop new Bouligand structural material systems that possess multiple active interfaces, dynamic response capabilities, and high toughness, in order to enhance and optimize the stiffness and ductility of such materials. Developing strategies that can balance micro-motion and structural robustness can fundamentally resolve the contradiction between brittleness and toughness, and thereby overcoming the key technical challenges that hinder the practical application of biomimetic materials should help solve the aforementioned problems. In this work, the team provided a solution with broad application prospects for Bouligand structures through the self-assembly of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC). This strategy achieves precise control over the spatial arrangement of the network matrix through nanofiber sliding and hydrogen bond reconstruction. This transition is driven by hydrogen bonding activated by water molecules, resulting in a robust photonic hydrogel. The resulting Bouligand structure hydrogels exhibited excellent mechanical properties; compared to the initial hydrogels, their toughness increased by 5 times, reaching 155.5 MJ/m³, with an elongation of over 950%. Furthermore, these photophotogel materials exhibit dynamic color-changing capabilities, capable of switching between red and blue, while maintaining stable electrical sensitivity during reversible stretching. The imaging interface of photonic hydrogels is durable and reusable; it only needs to be soaked in water for 5 minutes to regain its activity. This work opens up new avenues for the practical application of CNC, with potential uses in areas such as sustainable bioplastics, flexible electronic substrates, and smart photonic devices. In recent years, Qing Guangyan’s team has made a series of advances in the chiral functionalization of nanocellulose. They have developed multi-mode, convertible chiral optical anti-counterfeiting films (Adv. Funct. Mater., 2022), flexible sweat sensors based on photocellulose nanocrystals (Small, 2023), cellulose-based left-handed circularly polarized luminescent films (Adv. Mater., 2024), as well as cellulose nanocrystal photopatches with simultaneous color-changing and conductive properties (Mater. Horiz., 2024). The relevant research findings were published recently in Materials Today under the title “Highly robust cellulose photonic hydrogels with reconfigurability and mechanochromism”. The first author of this work is Li Qiongya, a doctoral student in Group 1824 at my institute. The above work was supported by projects such as the National Natural Science Foundation, the Xingliao Talent Program of Liaoning Province, and the innovation fund of our institute.