Thermo-mechanical behavior of graphene oxide hydrogel

Graphene oxide hydrogel with encapsulated water presents a unique structural characteristic similar to open cell foam. It is demonstrated that the encapsulated water plays a vital role in tailoring compressive behavior of graphene oxide hydrogel under varying thermal conditions. The present study is focused on systematically evaluating both the temperature and frequency dependence on compressive behavior of hydrogel to elucidate the evolution of stiffness in a wider temperature range. The stiffness of the hydrogel is further tailored through encapsulation of nanoparticles to achieve an extraordinary enhancement in storage modulus. It is concluded that the change in phase of water provides a large gradient in the stiffness of the hydrogel.