Hydration-Mediated Multiscale Structural Evolution in Polyurethane Hydrogels: From Water States to Microphase Reconstruction and Dynamic Networks.
4 affiliations
- 1College of Chemical Engineering and Materials, Shandong University of Aeronautics, Binzhou 256600, China.
- 2Shandong Key Laboratory of Chemical Process Simulation and Optimization Industrial Software (PKL2024F23), Qingdao 266042, China.
- 3College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China.
- 4Beijing WholesomeTech Co., Ltd., Beijing 101500, China.
Abstract
Polyurethane (PU) hydrogels combine high water content with the intrinsic structural heterogeneity of segmented polyurethane, giving rise to strong coupling among hydration, intermolecular interactions, microphase organization, and network dynamics. This review treats hydration as an active structural variable rather than solely as a swelling medium. The effects of soft- and hard-segment chemistry and network topology on the pre-hydration state are first summarized, followed by analysis of the multiscale sequence from water uptake and water state to competitive hydrogen bonding, segmental mobility, microphase reconstruction, and dynamic-network evolution. Particular attention is paid to distinguishing hydration-induced reconstruction of pre-existing domains from water-induced microphase separation, in which hydration generates new compositional segregation or phase connectivity. Direct evidence from PU hydrogels is also distinguished from mechanistic evidence derived from related hydrated PU, polyurethane-urea, and thermoplastic PU systems. The consequences of these processes for strengthening, toughening, cyclic recovery, stimuli responsiveness, wet interfaces, and representative applications are discussed. A system-dependent hydration window is further introduced to define the conditions under which sufficient molecular mobility for reversible reorganization coexists with persistent load-bearing structures. Remaining challenges include synchronized wet-state characterization, long-term fatigue and aging, and the establishment of predictive composition-hydration-structure-property relationships.
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BibTeX
@article{zhang2026hydrationmediated,
title = {{Hydration-Mediated Multiscale Structural Evolution in Polyurethane Hydrogels: From Water States to Microphase Reconstruction and Dynamic Networks.}},
author = {Li Zhang and Rongrong Zhang and Xinliang Wang and Honghong Zhang and Zhaosheng Hou},
journal = {Gels (Basel, Switzerland)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/gels12100911},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42929945},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Hydration-Mediated Multiscale Structural Evolution in Polyurethane Hydrogels: From Water States to Microphase Reconstruction and Dynamic Networks.
AU - Li Zhang
AU - Rongrong Zhang
AU - Xinliang Wang
AU - Honghong Zhang
AU - Zhaosheng Hou
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/10
JO - Gels (Basel, Switzerland)
DO - 10.3390/gels12100911
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42929945
AB - Polyurethane (PU) hydrogels combine high water content with the intrinsic structural heterogeneity of segmented polyurethane, giving rise to strong coupling among hydration, intermolecular interactions, microphase organization, and network dynamics. This review treats hydration as an active structural variable rather than solely as a swelling medium. The effects of soft- and hard-segment chemistry and network topology on the pre-hydration state are first summarized, followed by analysis of the multiscale sequence from water uptake and water state to competitive hydrogen bonding, segmental mobility, microphase reconstruction, and dynamic-network evolution. Particular attention is paid to distinguishing hydration-induced reconstruction of pre-existing domains from water-induced microphase separation, in which hydration generates new compositional segregation or phase connectivity. Direct evidence from PU hydrogels is also distinguished from mechanistic evidence derived from related hydrated PU, polyurethane-urea, and thermoplastic PU systems. The consequences of these processes for strengthening, toughening, cyclic recovery, stimuli responsiveness, wet interfaces, and representative applications are discussed. A system-dependent hydration window is further introduced to define the conditions under which sufficient molecular mobility for reversible reorganization coexists with persistent load-bearing structures. Remaining challenges include synchronized wet-state characterization, long-term fatigue and aging, and the establishment of predictive composition-hydration-structure-property relationships.
SN - 2310-2861
ER -