| Popis: |
Employing hydrogels as a substitute for cement in soil stabilization is believed to have great environmental benefits. However, current hydrogel soils stabilizers cannot function properly in wet conditions due to swelling induced structural deformation and mechanical weakening, which significantly limits their applications. Inspired by the mussel byssal, we developed a water resistant hydrogel soil stabilizer that worked under all environments. The synergic effect of intermolecular hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions led to the formation of heterogeneous mussel mimicry microstructures that possessed superior toughness and ultra-low swelling ratio. Soils strengthened with such hydrogels maintained great strength in water, which had never been achieved before. The intrinsic water affinity of hydrogels also ensured a decent permeability and retention ability of water, which was critical to ecosystems. The present work holds great promise for developing the next generation environment-insensitive and ecofriendly soil stabilizers. |
