Soft Viscoelastic Magnetic Hydrogels from the In Situ Mineralization of Iron Oxide in Metal-Coordinate Polymer Networks

Abstract

The design of soft magnetic hydrogels with high concentrations of magnetic particles is complicated by weak retention of the iron oxide particles in the hydrogel scaffold. Here, we propose a design strategy that circumvents this problem through the in situ mineralization of iron oxide nanoparticles within polymer hydrogels functionalized with strongly iron-coordinating nitrocatechol groups. The mineralization process facilitates the synthesis of a high concentration of large iron oxide nanoparticles (up to 57 wt % dry mass per single cycle) in a simple one-step process under ambient conditions. The resulting hydrogels are soft (kPa range) and viscoelastic and exhibit strong magnetic actuation. This strategy offers a pathway for the energy-efficient design of soft, mechanically robust, and magneto-responsive hydrogels for biomedical applications.