Multi-responsive polyethylene-polyamine/gelatin hydrogel induced by non-covalent interactions

By simply introducing a gelatin aqueous solution, the polyethylene-polyamine (PPA)/gelatin hydrogel with multi-stimuli-responsive properties was obtained. It was demonstrated that the hydrogel was formed via non-covalent interactions, which were able to provide various stimuli-responsiveness such as stress, pH and thermal/photo-thermal to the hydrogel. Furthermore, the adhesion experiment revealed that the hydrogel was similar in adhesive strength but more convenient in preparation compared to other biomacromolecule based hydrogel adhesives, while it held more stimuli-responsiveness properties. Therefore, such a general strategy of the PPA based hydrogel preparation displayed its great potential to design smart materials for multi-functional applications.