Novel robust bottlebrush hydrogels with hidden chain length reservoirs

In the present proposal, we will implement a facile one-pot synthesis of single-stranded bottlebrush networks with a relatively hydrophobic poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) (PHEMA) backbone and hydrophilic poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) (PMOx) side chains to prepare hydrogels with a modulus below <1 kPa and swelling ratios up to 125 that can withstand up to 10-fold extension. We are going to explore with X-ray scattering the structural features of these systems at different conditions of swelling where interplay between the hydrophilicity of PMOx and the hydrophobicity of HEMA provides highly swollen hydrogels with the unique ability to sustain larger deformations due to the hidden length stored in aggregated hydrophobic HEMA backbones.