DNA Hydrogels in the Perspective of Mechanical Properties

Abstract

Tailoring the mechanical properties has always been a key to the field of hydrogels in terms of different applications. Particularly, DNA hydrogels offer an unambiguous way to precisely tune the mechanical properties, largely on account of their programmable sequences, abundant responding toolbox, and various ligation approaches. In this review, DNA hydrogels from the perspective of mechanical properties, from a synthetic standpoint to different applications, are introduced. The relationship between the structure and their mechanical properties in DNA hydrogels and the methods of regulating the mechanical properties of DNA hydrogels are specifically summarized. Furthermore, several recent applications of DNA hydrogels in relation to their mechanical properties are discussed. Benefiting from the tunability and flexibility, rational design of mechanical properties in DNA hydrogels provided unheralded interest from fundamental science to extensive applications.

Keywords: DNA hydrogels; double-network hydrogels; intelligent hydrogels; mechanical properties.