Ultra‐Tough, Freeze‐Tolerant Hydrogel Fibers via Synergistic Freeze‐Spinning and Salting‐Out

ABSTRACT Hydrogel fibers, which merge the inherent softness and biocompatibility of hydrogels with the high aspect ratio and flexibility of a fibrous structure, are highly sought after for next‐generation fibrous devices. However, their applications suffer from trade‐offs in mechanical robustness, environmental tolerance, and scalable production. Here, we introduce a synergistic freeze‐spinning and salting‐out strategy to overcome these intertwined challenges simultaneously. Freeze‐spinning aligns polyvinyl alcohol chains, enabling continuous production of oriented fibers. Subsequent salting‐out in sodium citrate/glycerol/H 2 O solution synergistically enhances properties: citrate ions induce physical crosslinking to boost strength, orientation, and crystallinity, while glycerol provides freeze resistance and moisture retention. The resulting fibers exhibit an unattainable combination of ultrahigh elongation (1779.08 % ± 130.33 %) and tensile strength (20.50 ± 0.52 MPa), breaking through the performance boundaries of traditional hydrogel fibers. Furthermore, embedded silver nanowires endow the fibers with stable electrical conductivity and strain‐sensing even at −40°C. This work integrates ultra‐high strength, toughness, broad‐temperature environmental tolerance, and electronic functionality into a single hydrogel fiber, opening new avenues for high‐performance fibrous devices.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Functional Materials
Published
2026-01-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202529542
Primary Topic
Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Ultra‐Tough, Freeze‐Tolerant Hydrogel Fibers via Synergistic Freeze‐Spinning and Salting‐Out

Heguo Li, Fu‐Lin Gao, Xiaoyang Fang, Shumiao Li et al.
Advanced Functional Materials
Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications
article

Ultra‐Tough, Freeze‐Tolerant Hydrogel Fibers via Synergistic Freeze‐Spinning and Salting‐Out

Heguo Li, Fu‐Lin Gao, Xiaoyang Fang, Shumiao Li, Ning Zhao, Zhong‐Zhen Yu, Qian Wang, Hao‐Tong Wang
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Hydrogel fibers, which merge the inherent softness and biocompatibility of hydrogels with the high aspect ratio and flexibility of a fibrous structure, are highly sought after for next‐generation fibrous devices. However, their applications suffer from trade‐offs in mechanical robustness, environmental tolerance, and scalable production. Here, we introduce a synergistic freeze‐spinning and salting‐out strategy to overcome these intertwined challenges simultaneously. Freeze‐spinning aligns polyvinyl alcohol chains, enabling continuous production of oriented fibers. Subsequent salting‐out in sodium citrate/glycerol/H 2 O solution synergistically enhances properties: citrate ions induce physical crosslinking to boost strength, orientation, and crystallinity, while glycerol provides freeze resistance and moisture retention. The resulting fibers exhibit an unattainable combination of ultrahigh elongation (1779.08 % ± 130.33 %) and tensile strength (20.50 ± 0.52 MPa), breaking through the performance boundaries of traditional hydrogel fibers. Furthermore, embedded silver nanowires endow the fibers with stable electrical conductivity and strain‐sensing even at −40°C. This work integrates ultra‐high strength, toughness, broad‐temperature environmental tolerance, and electronic functionality into a single hydrogel fiber, opening new avenues for high‐performance fibrous devices.

Advanced Functional Materials
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (CN), Beijing University of Chemical Technology (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Openalex Percentile: Top 69%
Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications
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Ultra‐Tough, Freeze‐Tolerant Hydrogel Fibers via Synergistic Freeze‐Spinning and Salting‐Out — Heguo Li, Fu‐Lin Gao, et al. · Advanced Functional Materials (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS