Affiliation: | 1. Faculty of Advanced Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 001–0021 Japan;2. Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 001–0021 Japan;3. Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980–8577 Japan;4. Faculty of Advanced Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 001–0021 Japan
Global Station for Soft Matter, Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education (GI-CoRE), Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 001–0021 Japan;5. Faculty of Advanced Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 001–0021 Japan
Global Station for Soft Matter, Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education (GI-CoRE), Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 001–0021 Japan
Institute for Chemical Reaction Design and Discovery (WPI-ICReDD), Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 001–0021 Japan |
Abstract: | In this work, the authors succeed in direct visualization of the network structure of synthetic hydrogels with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) by developing a novel staining and network fixation method. Such a direct visualization is not carried out because sample preparation and obtaining sufficient contrast are challenging for these soft materials. TEM images reveal robust heterogeneous network architectures at mesh size scale and defects at micro-scale. TEM images also reveal the presence of abundant dangling chains on the surface of the hydrogel network. The real space structural information provides a comprehensive perspective that links bulk properties with a nanoscale network structure, including fracture, adhesion, sliding friction, and lubrication. The presented method has the potential to advance the field. |