Self‐Healing Polysaccharide Hydrogel Based on Dynamic Covalent Enamine Bonds

Abstract

A self‐healing polysaccharide hydrogel based on dynamic covalent enamine bonds has been prepared with a facile, cost‐effective, and eco‐friendly way. The polysaccharide hydrogel is obtained by mixing cellulose acetoacetate (CAA) aqueous solution with chitosan aqueous solution under room temperature. CAA is synthesized by reaction of cellulose with tert ‐butyl acetoacetate (t‐BAA) in ionic liquid 1‐allyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride (AMIMCl). The structure and properties of CAA are characterized by FT‐IR, NMR, and solubility measurements. The results demonstrate that CAA possesses water solubility with a degree of substitution (DS) about 0.58–1.11. The hydrogel shows an excellent self‐healing behavior without other external stimuli and good stability under physiological conditions. Furthermore, the polysaccharide hydrogel exhibits pH responsive properties. image