Polymer networks, which are materials composed of many smaller components—referred to
as “junctions” and “strands”—connected together via covalent or non‐covalent …

As swollen polymer networks in water, hydrogels are usually brittle. However, hydrogels with
high toughness play critical roles in many plant and animal tissues as well as in diverse …

Soft polymer networks have seen an explosion of recent developments motivated by new
high tech applications in the biomedical field or in engineering. We present a candid and …

Hydrogels are crosslinked polymer networks swollen with water. Owing to their soft and
water-containing nature, hydrogels are promising materials for applications in many fields …

Strain-induced crystallization (SIC) prevalently strengthens, toughens, and enables an
elastocaloric effect in elastomers. However, the crystallinity induced by mechanical …

Topology plays a critical role in dictating the properties of many materials. In recent years,
with advances in synthetic and characterization techniques, substantial efforts have been …

In this review, we survey recent literature (2009–2013) on hydrogels that are mechanically
tough and adhesive. The impact of published work and trends in the field are examined. We …

Many polymer networks and gels display nanostructural heterogeneity in the form of
spatially inhomogeneous crosslinking densities, along with additional topological defects …

So far stimuli‐responsive polymer gels and their application to smart materials have been
widely studied; this research has contributed to progress in gel science and engineering. For …

In this review we highlight new developments in tough hydrogel materials in terms of their
enhanced mechanical performance and their corresponding toughening mechanisms …