Preparation of PEG /P(G‐ AM ‐ ChCl ) Composite Hydrogel via Photo‐Polymerization With Ternary Deep Eutectic Solvent and Its Performance Study

Abstract

In this study, a ternary deep eutectic solvent (DES) was prepared using glycerol (Gly), acrylamide (AM), and choline chloride (ChCl) as raw materials, and polyethylene glycol (PEG) with different mass fractions was introduced as a filler into the DES to fabricate PEG/P(G‐AM‐ChCl) composite hydrogels via photopolymerization. The composite hydrogels were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The effects of PEG content on the swelling behavior, water holding capacity, mechanical properties, and fatigue resistance of the composite hydrogels were systematically investigated. The results showed that the addition of PEG promoted the formation of a denser hydrogen bonding network within the hydrogel, effectively reducing the water loss rate, and the equilibrium swelling degree of the composite hydrogels increased to 9.61 with increasing PEG content. The composite hydrogels exhibited excellent mechanical properties and fatigue resistance, with a compressive strength reaching 0.157 MPa after PEG addition, which was 1.25 times higher than that of the PEG‐free group. This study provides a simple method for preparing composite hydrogels with high water holding efficiency.