Triple network hydrogels (TN gels) prepared by a one-pot, two-step method with high mechanical properties.

In this work, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was incorporated into the networks of polyacrylamide/polyacrylic acid (PAM/PAA) to prepare novel PAM/PAA/PVA Triple-network (TN) hydrogels by an polymerization and repeated freezing-thawing (F-T) process. The TN hydrogels have not only high mechanical strength, but also a moderate swelling ability by varying the weight ratio of calcium chloride (CaCl) and PVA and free shaping. The compressive stress of the as-prepared hydrogels could reach 11 MPa, and the highest stretching stress could reach 0.